Poland in Malaysia

Historical overview

In the second half of 1972, a Polish trade mission was established in Kuala Lumpur. In 1973 it was elevated to embassy status. From December 1971 to November 1978 the ambassadors of the Polish People’s Republic to Indonesia were concurrently accredited to Malaysia. The first ambassador of the Polish People’s Republic resident in Kuala Lumpur was Adam Świtkowski. Initially, Malaysian ambassadors to the USSR were concurrently accredited to Poland. The Embassy of Malaysia in Warsaw opened on 4 November 1977.

Several significant visits were made by representatives of both countries during the communist era. For example, in September 1972 the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Abdul Razak Hussein, visited Poland. Of the numerous visits made by Malaysian government representatives to Poland, the most notable were those by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs in 1977, 1985 and 1989, by the Minister of Trade and Industry in 1975, and the Minister of Finance in 1989. The most important visit by a representative of the Polish People’s Republic to Malaysia was that of Deputy Prime Minister Zbigniew Szałajda in 1986. Other notable visits by Polish government representatives to Malaysia included visits by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs in 1978 and 1988.

Political cooperation during the Third Polish Republic

There are no contentious issues in Polish-Malaysian political relations. They are developing steadily, as evidenced by reciprocal visits from representatives of both countries. For example, in 1996 Prime Minister Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz visited Malaysia, and in 1999 President Aleksander Kwaśniewski paid an official visit. In 2002, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad, visited Poland, and in 2005 Prime Minister Marek Belka visited Malaysia.

In July 2013, the Malaysian Foreign Minister, Anifah Aman, visited Poland. Previous visits at this level took place in 2001, when Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar visited Poland, and in 2002, when Foreign Minister Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz visited Malaysia. As part of bilateral political relations, talks at deputy ministerial level were held in 2011-13, 2015 and 2022.

In 1989 relations between the parliaments of both countries were established. Visits to Malaysia were made by the Deputy Chairmen of the Senate (1999, 2005) and of the Sejm (2011) of the Republic of Poland, and to Poland by the Chairman (2005) and Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives (2013), as well as the Chairman (2016) and Deputy Chairman of the Malaysian Senate (2003, 2007). The Polish-Malaysian Parliamentary Group was active in the Polish Parliament of the 9th term (until November 2023). A similar group was established in the Sejm of the 10th term on 25 July 2025.

Members of the royal families of Malaysia have visited Poland on both official and private visits. For example, in 2005 the then King, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin, visited Poland on a private visit.
Relations have also been established between the Ministries of Defense and the Armed Forces of both countries. The Polish Defense Attaché is accredited to Malaysia. In 2010, Bumar’s contract made in 2003 for the delivery of 48 Polish PT-91M tanks was finalised (the contract for the delivery of the tanks and associated equipment was worth approximately USD 368 million). Another significant project implemented in Malaysia was the contract signed by the Polish company WB Electronics for the delivery of 257 Fonet intercom systems for the Malaysian AV 8 GEMPITA vehicle.

Bilateral political cooperation has significantly accelerated in the past few years. On 3 September 2024, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski visited Malaysia, meeting with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan. Talks focused on economic cooperation, the access of Polish agri-food products to the Malaysian market, defense and academic relations as well as cooperation between Poland and Malaysia within EU-ASEAN relations. The Malaysian side expressed its support for Poland’s early accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. The culmination of political cooperation in 2024-2025 was the official visit of President Andrzej Duda and his spouse to Malaysia from 9 to 11 June 2025. President Duda met with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, visited a military camp in Port Dickson, delivered a lecture at the University of Malaya and gave an interview to the Astro Awani television station. The visit’s highlight was the adoption of a joint statement between Poland and Malaysia : https://www.president.pl/archives/andrzej-duda/news/joint-statement-between-the-republic-of-poland-and-malaysia,102645

In 2024, Polish exports to Malaysia amounted to EUR 401.0 million, while imports reached EUR 1,504.7 million. The resulting balance was EUR -1,103.7 million. There has been an upward trend in Malaysia's share of Poland's global foreign trade. The most important items in Polish exports to Malaysia that year were electrical machinery, agri-food products, and chemicals. The most important items in Polish imports were electrical machinery, chemicals and miscellaneous goods. Although there are currently no Polish investments in Malaysia, companies in the IT (Billenium and TTMS Software), defence (WBE Technologies Sdn Bhd) and transportation (STER seats manufacturer) sectors maintain representative offices here. In recent years, the Embassy has particularly supported cooperation in the financial sector. During two editions of the “Poland-Malaysia FinTech Forum”, which featured Bank Negara Malaysia, the MyDigital agency, and leading banks, the Polish Payment Standard (BLIK) was presented, and discussions were held on digital trends and cybersecurity. Invited Polish companies presented their solutions. Further details on ongoing economic cooperation can be found in the "Economic Information" section.

Cultural cooperation is developing dynamically, particularly with regard to the promotion of Polish classical music in Malaysia. The Polish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur works closely with the Chopin Society Malaysia. In October 2023, the Baba House in Malacca provided the setting for a concert featuring Polish violinist Kaja Karolina Giżewska and Malaysian pianists performing repertoire by Chopin, Szymanowski and Wieniawski. An exhibition about Polish UNESCO sites accompanied the concert. In October 2024 two concerts featuring pianist Alicja Fiderkiewicz were held. The “Spirit of Poland” Polish Cuisine Festival, which has been held in Malaysia since 2018, traditionally hosts renowned chefs such as Marcin Budynek, Mariusz Olechno, Kamil Babkowski and pastry chef Paweł Mieszała. More information about ongoing cultural cooperation can be found on the Embassy's social media.

Cooperation between Poland and Malaysia in higher education is developing steadily. To date, over 25 Polish public and private universities have signed cooperation agreements with Malaysian institutions of higher education. According to data from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, around 100 Malaysian students were enrolled at Polish universities in the 2024/25 academic year, primarily at medical schools. Six joint MSCA Doctoral Networks and MSCA Staff Exchanges projects were implemented under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Programme, financed by Horizon Europe and coordinated in Poland by NAWA. Between 2011 and 2025, the National Science Centre funded seven projects implemented in cooperation with Malaysia, totalling PLN 13.5 million. The first Get-together of Malaysian Alumni of Polish Universities took place in Kuala Lumpur in March 2019, and the second edition of this event was held in November 2024.

Foreign Trade Office (ZBH) of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency S.A.