Chinese who travel to Malaysia in person generally have the impression that the streets are narrow and there is a lack of greenery on both sides of the roads. Except for Kuala Lumpur, which has high-rise buildings, other areas are full of low-rise houses, some of which look old.
In addition, there is no high-speed rail in Malaysia, there is no mobile payment, and even the business atmosphere is very backward. Therefore, it is easy for us to label Malaysia as backward and poor.
But if we look closely, we will find that Malaysia's per capita GDP has exceeded US$11,000, ranking 64th in the world, third in Southeast Asia, and comparable to China's per capita GDP of US$12,741.
Although this data is not very impressive, it is still a high-level country in Southeast Asia, and if it continues to develop, it is even expected to become the next developed country in Asia.
Is Malaysia a rich country? Why is the picture and data presented by society so polarized?
Malaysian economic development.
Malaysia, abbreviated as Malaysia, covers an area of 330,000 square kilometers and is divided into two halves by the South China Sea. Its population of 33 million is 22 Chinese7%, with a coastline of 4,192 km.
However, these are nothing. What Malaysia is truly proud of is its abundant natural resources. Not only is it home to 60% of the country's forest resources, but it also has one of the world's largest producers of tin and palm oil. Tin, copper, iron, gold, bauxite, coal, oil, and natural gas are all available, making it a veritable kingdom of resources.
Malaya became independent on 31 August 1957 and subsequently united Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak to form the Federation of Malaysia. A few years later, Singapore opted out of the federation and Kuala Lumpur became the capital of Malaysia.
In the early years of independence, Malaysia's national economy was mainly dependent on agriculture and mineral resources. But natural resources are finite after all, and no one wants to exhaust their wealth in exchange for temporary glory.
Therefore, in the 80s of the 20th century, Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad put forward a policy of learning from the East, focusing on learning from the export-oriented economic model and industrialization experience of Japan and South Korea.
Under the guidance of policy guidance, Malaysia has attracted a large number of high-level Japanese enterprises to invest. Relying on its unique geographical advantages, Malaysia has continuously improved its investment environment, so as to attract foreign investment to develop abroad**.
Throughout the 80s and 90s of the 20th century, Malaysia's economy developed rapidly. Since 1987, the economy has maintained an annual growth rate of more than 8 percent. As a result, Malaysia became one of the Asian Tigers along with Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and became a household name in Asia. Diversified newly industrialized countries and global emerging market economies.
In 1991, Mahathir Mohamad rode the momentum with the ambition of building Malaysia into a global developed country by 2020. To this end, Malaysia has vigorously developed the high-tech field, and has successively proposed projects such as the super corridor and biotechnology. Valley.
During the same period, the relationship between China and Malaysia has also become increasingly close. Many Malaysian businessmen come to Shenzhen and Guangzhou in search of business opportunities. Malaysia has become the first choice for China's foreign investment because of its natural channel advantages.
Looking back on the 90s of the 20th century, Malaysia quickly integrated into the global integration by virtue of its geographical advantages, and became an irreplaceable part of the global manufacturing industry, with all walks of life flourishing. If this trend is followed, Malaysia will surely develop into a developed country in the world within the next 30 years.
Malaysia was hit hard by the Asian financial crisis in 1997, and the failure of the Asian Tigers to stabilize its economy and finances is deeply regrettable and regrettable. As a result, the pace of development has slowed markedly, and we have fallen into the middle-income trap. Malaysia's macro vision has also come to an end. Disillusioned.
It is gratifying to note that Malaysia has taken the lead in getting rid of the economic crisis since the beginning of the new century. In the past two decades, GDP has grown at an average annual rate of 55%, maintaining a stable trend. At the same time, average life expectancy increased by three years. This is due to the fact that the policy of economic diversification pursued by ** has greatly improved the inclusiveness and resilience of the economy.
Looking back at the take-off and re-emergence of Malaysia's economy, there are two successes: First, it is rich in natural resources. Rubber, palm oil and liquefied natural gas continue to be important economic growth drivers for Malaysia. 2. Completely correct development route. ** The development policy has successfully seized the opportunities of the times. Even if it suffers a heavy blow, it can quickly stabilize the situation and develop new pillar industries.
The structure of the Malaysian economy.
While Malaysia's economy is developing rapidly, it has also caused some drawbacks.
First of all, the export economy has a high degree of dependence on foreign countries. In 2019, Malaysia's total imports and exports of goods reached US$443.2 billion, which is 1. % of GDP2 times. The total volume of foreign trade is even higher than GDP, which is the result of a 51% drop in exports of goods.
Malaysia's key role and position in the global** is unquestionable. The export of electronics, rubber and other products** has brought a strong impetus to Malaysia's economy and has also tied it closely to the international market. Once there is a turmoil in the international market, Malaysia's economy will be shaken three times.
To this end, Malaysia has established first-class relations with many countries and developed diversified export markets, but it still cannot get rid of its sensitivity to the international environment. The global economic recession and volatility will affect Malaysia's domestic production and employment activities, and the international raw materials market** will also have a direct impact on Malaysia's income stability. Malaysia can't do anything about it, after all, exports** are still the lifeblood of their economy.
The only feasible strategy is to pay close attention to the dynamics of the international market and introduce corresponding policies in a timely manner to avoid risks.
The second is socio-economic inequality. While Malaysia's economic data is constantly growing, the size of the fruit distributed to each citizen is very different. According to statistics, Malaysia's income inequality and imbalance are among the highest in Asia.
This imbalance in economic distribution is particularly evident in both urban and rural areas. Cities are home to more economic projects and well-paid jobs, and the quality of life of residents is much higher than in rural areas. In addition, there are also large differences in education and medical resources, and the polarization is particularly serious.
It is important to know that education is the most basic driving force for social development. Without high-quality education, rapid development is impossible, and the backward level of education in rural Malaysia will inevitably slow down overall economic growth. Medical resources are mainly concentrated in economically developed cities.
* We have also racked our brains for this and introduced a variety of policies to change the status quo, such as raising the basic wage standard and balancing the tax policy. But we are well aware that the imbalance in the distribution of resources is the main cause of socio-economic imbalances, and we look forward to changing the status quo in Malaysia** in the future.
In fact, when we discuss whether Malaysia can be classified as a wealthy country, there is no mainstream standard. If it can meet the needs of the people to eat, wear, and travel, does it mean that it is a rich country? But at least in terms of data, Malaysia is still far behind the level of developed countries.
In 2019, Malaysia's GDP was 3734500 million US dollars, ranking 35th in the world, equivalent to 25 trillion yuan, equivalent to the size of Hong Kong, China. In the same year, Malaysia's GDP per capita was US$11,689.
Compared to the other Asian tigers, Malaysia's total GDP is lower than Indonesia's 1$1 trillion and Thailand's $516.6 billion, only higher than the Philippines' $356.6 billion, but GDP per capita ranks first among the four tigers.
However, Malaysia has an absolute advantage in terms of population. Indonesia has 2Of the 6.8 billion people, the Philippines has 10.7 billion people, Thailand has a population of 69.42 million. There are only more than 30 million in Malaysia. Therefore, the small population is the main reason for Malaysia's high GDP per capita.
If the minimum standard of per capita GDP of developed countries exceeds US$20,000, Malaysia is still a long way from developed countries.
Moreover, Malaysia's current economy is characterized by a wealthy class controlling the overall lifeline, and there is a serious imbalance in the distribution of wealth and resources. Despite the overall development momentum, there are still many shortcomings in the domestic environment. I believe that for **, how to balance the current socio-economic situation is the top priority for future development.