This book explores the relationship between the United States and the Malaysian economy, concentrating on the period 1870 to 1957, with particular focus on trade flows and foreign direct investment.

This is the first book to examine, in depth, US economic involvement in colonial Malaya. Exploring the relationship between the United States and the Malayan/Malaysian economy, the book concentrates on the period 1870 to 1957, with particular focus on trade flows and foreign direct investment. It surveys the reasons behind the levels of US trade and investment, and considers the impact of the presence of both British governments and businesses on the US-Malayan relationship.

The book goes on to examine the impact of US trade and investment on Malaya, with detailed analysis of the cases of three important US inward investors: Yukon Gold Company, United States Rubber Company, and Ford Motor Company. The author argues that the British colonial presence provided an infrastructure that facilitated US trade and FDI flows with Malaya, although on occasion restrictive policies followed by the colonial government diverted US FDI flows elsewhere. However, US FDI and trade remained constrained by Malaya’s status as a low income developing country with little potential for market-oriented manufacturing investment. Nonetheless, it demonstrates that US trade and FDI had a positive impact on the Malayan economy through flows of organisational and technological capabilities. An epilogue brings the story up to date for contemporary US-Malaysian economic relations.

Overall, this book is an insightful and highly original account of the part played by US trade and investment in Malaya’s economic development.