When Admiral Zheng He came to our region in 1407 to establish an outpost in the straits of Malacca for the Ming dynasty, he had two options to choose from.
On one hand, he could have chosen a down on his luck local chieftain in Malacca by the name Parameswara and on the other hand, he could have chosen a well established Chinese chieftain in Palembang by the name of Chen Zuyi.
On paper, Chen Zuyi was obviously the better choice. Not only did Chen Zuyi control the more established and well-known port of Palembang, he had at least 17 ships and 5000 men under his command.
Let us also not forget that Chen Zuyi was also Chinese by heritage.
But what Admiral Zheng He did instead was destroy Chen Zuyi's stronghold in Palembang and establish Parameswara’s rule in Malacca, although Parameswara was not only the obviously weaker choice, he was also not Chinese.
Now why did Admiral Zheng He do that?
Well, I think that the answer might lie in the outlook that Chinese from China have had on the Overseas Chinese for centuries.
We tend to assume that the Chinese in China and overseas Chinese have a strong bond, on account of their common identity, but we must also remember that the differences between those who belong in the same family are often far more vicious and deep rooted than the difference between two strangers.
North Korea and South Korea have a horrible relationship, although they are ethnically, culturally and linguistically identical.
The bad blood between the Sunni and Shiite faction of Muslims, might exceed the animosity that they have against outside groups like the Jews and Christians.
Even in Malaysia we can see that it might be far easier to persuade DAP to work together with PAS, than it would be to persuade it to work together with MCA, although it is with MCA that DAP shares a cultural, ancestral and linguistic bond.
China, for various reasons, has always been suspicious of the the overseas Chinese population for centuries.
Chen Zuyi is just one example that proves this point.
In 1903, the father of Modern China, Sun Yat Sen would refer to the overseas Chinese as the “Mother of the Chinese Revolution.” At the time he uttered it, Sun Yat Sen was leading a movement the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty that ruled China. Although Sun Yat Sen meant the term as a compliment to the overseas Chinese, for their unwavering support towards his attempt to overthrow of the Qing, we can glean from his outlook of the overseas Chinese, the manner that the rulers of China might apply to judge their relationship with Overseas Chinese, from the time of Chen Zuyi.
China, Beijing specifically, might see the overseas Chinese as potentially a source of anti-establishment agitation against its authority, because that is the role that the Overseas Chinese have played for hundreds of years.
We can see the anti-establishment zeal of the overseas Chinese even today. Taiwan, is so avowedly anti-China, that it is even willing to risk annihilation rather than identify with the Chinese in China.
Hong Kong also has a palpable anti-China streak that erupted in open rebellion in 2019, when almost the entirety of Hong Kong took to the streets to push back China’s attempt to make Hong Kong identify more intimately with China.
Added to the natural anti-establishment streak that overseas Chinese have displayed against the central authority of China for centuries, is the stark difference in ideology between the Chinese in China and the overseas Chinese today.
Communism is an important part of the identity of Chinese in China. I would argue that Communism is about as important to the identity of a Chinese in China as Islam is to the identity of a Malay. Just as how a Malay identifies as a Malay Muslim rather than just Malays in Malaysia today, the Chinese in China also likely identity as Communist Chinese rather than just as Chinese in China today.
In contrast, the overseas Chinese are likely some of the most enthusiastic capitalists in the world today.
This ideological difference alone is likely going to have an immense influence on the nature of the relationship the China will have with the overseas Chinese population, if it comes to pass that China establishes a more intimate connection with SEA nations, in the wake of its trade war against America.
Ideology has an immense effect on the identity of a secular individual. Its effect rivals or exceeds the effects of religion on a religious individual. Just like how a religious individual clings to their religion as a fundamental aspect of their identity, to the point that they are often willing to die to defend their religious identity, secular individuals have been known to die for the sake of secular ideologies like communism or capitalism.
The overseas Chinese and the Chinese from China might share the same culture, tradition and lineage, but ideology trumps culture, tradition and lineage in shaping the identity of the modern Chinese.
Although the palpable excitement that the Malaysian Chinese exuded to celebrate the visit by the China’s president Xi Jinping to Malaysia last week, might have alarmed the local Malays, to the point that such things as the missing crescent moon in the picture of a the Malaysian flag in a local Chinese publication became a subject of intense vitriol, the local Malays need to remember that the relationship between the Communist Chinese in China and the avowed capitalist overseas Chinese might not be as positive as they assume it to be.
To put the relationship between the Chinese from China and overseas China in context, perhaps the local Malays need to reflect on the signal that Ho Ching, the influential wife of former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, sent in regards to Chinese President Xi Jinping's diplomatic charm offensive in Southeast Asia last week.
In response to President Xi’s visit, Ho Ching, the daughter in law of the founder of Singapore and the wife of the previous Prime Minister of Singapore, publicly shared an article that compared Xi's leadership style to that of a mafia boss. The article, written by Singapore-based commentator Michael Petraeus and published April 18 on the platform Critical Spectator, argues that Xi has governed "like a gang boss" , and likened China’s attempt to connect with the SEA nations as the attempt of an abuser to “treat his victims as a friend and partner.”
The view of Ho Ching, who comes from one of the most, if not the most, revered overseas Chinese family in the world, might be reflective of how the relationship between the Communist Chinese of China and the Capitalist Overseas Chinese might pan out, if it comes to pass that China and the SEA nations were to develop a much more intimate relationship in the coming days.
The fact that there is tension in their relationship, is further attested by the strained relationship that such strongholds of Overseas Chinese, like Taiwan and Hong Kong, have with China, as well as the reputation that the Overseas Chinese have as “the mother of Chinese revolutions” from the days of Chen Zuyi in the 15th century.
I would like to put this viewpoint for considerations, especially amongst the Malays in Malaysia, so that you are not so blinded by the power dynamics you have with the local Chinese, to the point that you assume too conveniently, that the positive relationship between the Chinese in Malaysia and China, will put you in a position of disadvantage vis-a-vis the power dynamics that you have with the Malaysian Chinese, if it comes to pass that China builds a strong rapport with Malaysia.
Remember, the Ming dynasty chose Parameswara, the ancestors of the Malays, over Chen Zuyi, to govern the Straits of Malacca, 500 years ago.
Do not conflate the power dynamics of your relationship with the local Chinese domestically with the reality of Malaysia’s international relationship with China.
Malaysia’s relationship with China will not automatically favour the Malaysian Chinese, as many of you might erroneously believe.
As a matter of fact, there is a likelihood, as Chen Zuyi discovered 500 years ago, that the greater presence of China in our region, might actually disfavour the interest and prospect of Capitalist Overseas Chinese, including the ones in Malaysia.
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