Relationship dossier
France
Malaysia
Relationship assessment
France and Malaysia maintain a strategic partnership with notable defense cooperation.
France toward Malaysia
+35France has pursued defense cooperation with Malaysia, including the French-led consortium's supply of Scorpène submarines under a Malaysian procurement contract. France and Malaysia elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership in 2023.
Malaysia toward France
+35Malaysia has engaged France through high-level government exchanges, including Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s 2023 visit, during which the two countries elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership. Malaysia’s procurement of Scorpène submarines also formed a substantial area of bilateral defense cooperation.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship combines a 2023 strategic partnership with substantive defense cooperation, including Malaysia’s Scorpène submarine procurement. These arrangements and government exchanges indicate a cooperative bilateral structure, while the scope of cooperation beyond these areas is less clear.
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
France and Malaysia elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership in 2023, building on long-standing diplomatic engagement. Defense ties include Malaysia’s purchase of Scorpène submarines from a French-led consortium, alongside broader cooperation and exchanges. These concrete areas support a cooperative assessment, although the breadth and implementation of bilateral cooperation are not fully clear.
Key developments
Malaysia contracted for Scorpène submarines from a French-led consortium, establishing a major area of defense cooperation.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visited France, and the two countries elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of the 2023 strategic partnership are unclear.
- The breadth of cooperation beyond defense and high-level engagement is uncertain.