Opinion | After postponed visit, Malaysia should think twice before welcoming Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

The deferred visit of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Kuala Lumpur should be welcomed as an opportunity for Malaysians to evaluate just how warmly they want to welcome the kingdom’s touted moderniser – or if they should do at all.

The crown prince, who visited Pakistan and India this week and is currently in China, has undertaken an “eastern tour” now that relations with the West have soured over the murder in October of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the country’s Istanbul consulate, and Riyadh’s ongoing military campaign in Yemen.

The US is likely to end its involvement in the Yemen conflict soon. At the same time, a bill targeting Opec, of which Saudi Arabia is a leading member, is prowling about Congress. Should the No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act pass, it would strip Saudi Arabia of a significant instrument of leverage it has over the US – the regulation of oil prices.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Saudi Arabia has found itself included in the European Union’s list of “high risk” countries for terrorism financing and money laundering.

Under such pressure, it is an opportune time for the crown prince to look east. By promising US$20 billion in investments to cash-strapped Pakistan, he looks to also be securing the loyalty of Islamabad.