Digital Influence Vectors in Malaysia

Commissioned by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation For Freedom Malaysia in late 2025, as part of a Study on Perceptions of Geopolitics and Regional Issues, this dedicated CRC report examines how Chinese and Russian influence affects Malaysia’s digital information environment and public opinion. The report integrates the results of two recent national surveys, narrative intelligence findings, and a media environment analysis. It argues, that Malaysia is not necessarily undergoing authoritarian conversion. Instead, it is consistently exposed to foreign-driven anti-Western and authoritarian-aligned narratives which are embedded across state media, diplomatic channels, local outlets, social media platforms, and amplifier assets.

In that context, the People's Republic of China (PRC) is the most prominent foreign actor, using a multi-layered influence architecture in an attempt to frame Beijing as Malaysia’s foremost economic and strategic partner. At the same time, Russian influence activity is also observed, albeit on a more limited scale. It relies mostly on diplomatic messaging, cultural institutions, individual influencers, and media partnerships promoting narratives around multipolarity, sovereignty, anti-Western sentiment, and closer Malaysia-Russia alignment.

Survey data from the CRC and Merdeka Center provides important insights. It shows that although many Malaysians view the PRC as highly active and economically beneficial, a majority still holds China responsible for South China Sea tensions.

For Malaysian and European influence defense stakeholders, the report highlights uneven cognitive resilience capacity across demographic groups, reinforcing the need for improved strategic communication deployment, as well as adoption of counter-FIMI detection, remediation and response capabilities in order to protect the crucial assets of democracy.

This report was compiled in March 2026.

[Download PDF Here]

Digital Influence Vectors in Malaysia.pdf

Download PDF • 11.52MB