China’s middle-class dream of a second home in Malaysia dashed by coronavirus and geopolitical tensions

Hot property: Affluent Chinese people are eager to make overseas investments or embrace a new lifestyle abroad, including in Malaysia.

Patricia Li is dismayed and saddened by the exodus of Chinese people she is witnessing in Johor, the southernmost state in Malaysia.

When she moved to the tropical Southeast Asian country from Yunnan province in 2017, the outlook was bright. Thousands of middle-class Chinese investors were flocking to Malaysia to buy property and secure a second home beyond China’s borders.