Why Malaysia’s political turmoil matters to Beijing

As China seeks to reshape the global order, Malaysia’s political instability offers a cautionary tale about the challenges Beijing may face abroad.A recent Pew Research Centre survey found that global perceptions of China have improved relative to those of the US, driven partly by the view among some respondents that China under President Xi Jinping is more reliable than a US led by President Donald Trump. As Washington retreats from global leadership roles, Beijing has sought to present itself as the architect of an alternative vision that, it argues, better reflects the aspirations of the developing and non-Western world.At the centre of this ambition are Xi’s four global initiatives: on development, security, civilisation and governance.