Can ‘neutral’ Malaysia stay above the fray in the US-China tech rivalry?

Despite Malaysia’s insistence that its long-standing non-alignment policy extends to cyberspace, analysts say the country’s reliance on American and Chinese technology could make such a stance difficult to sustain amid the rivalry between the two superpowers.

Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said on Monday that Malaysia would “always remain neutral” in cyberspace, arguing that cyber threats could come from non-state actors and should not be viewed solely through the lens of geopolitical contestation.

“As a principle of the country, we are non-aligned. We are neutral, and it goes into every domain,” Nordin told reporters at the Cyber Digital Services, Defence & Security Asia 2026 event. “Cyberattacks can come from anybody from anywhere, and it may not come from a state actor.”

Analysts warn, however, that Malaysia’s reliance on foreign technology could leave critical systems exposed to disruptions if a major power confrontation were to result in sanctions, export controls and other curbs.