Relationship dossier
Denmark
Malaysia
Relationship assessment
Practical green cooperation alongside past friction over the Muhammad cartoons
Denmark toward Malaysia
+15Denmark has engaged Malaysia through a bilateral green-growth partnership. The Danish government's defense of freedom of expression during the Muhammad-cartoon controversy also contributed to friction with Malaysia.
Malaysia toward Denmark
+10Malaysia participated in bilateral green-growth cooperation with Denmark. During the Muhammad-cartoon controversy, the Malaysian government strongly criticized the publications, creating friction with Denmark.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship combines practical cooperation, notably a bilateral green-growth partnership, with a past public dispute over the Muhammad cartoons. The cooperation supports a constructive relationship, while the episode of friction and uncertainty about the partnership's scope temper the assessment.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Denmark and Malaysia have maintained practical cooperation, including a bilateral green-growth partnership. Relations have also faced friction over the 2005–06 publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, which drew strong criticism from Malaysia. These features point to generally cooperative but not especially close relations; the scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation are unclear.
Areas of tension
- Disagreement over the 2005–06 Muhammad-cartoon controversy.
Key developments
Denmark and Malaysia established a bilateral green-growth partnership.
The publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad prompted strong criticism from Malaysia and strained relations.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of the bilateral green-growth partnership are unclear.
- The extent of current government cooperation beyond this partnership is unclear.