Malaysia is a Southeast Asian nation strategically located along major regional trade routes. Its national government must balance intense geopolitical pressures from neighboring countries with the need for domestic economic growth. In an effort to divert trade routes away from Singapore and to increase connectivity between its coasts, Prime Minister Najib Razak has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China to build a Chinese-backed East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) across peninsular Malaysia. As an outspoken Member of Parliament in the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP), Dr. Ong Kian-Ming must balance the Prime Minister’s argument that the ECRL will significantly boost economic growth with the risk of taking on Chinese infrastructure investment. Dr. Kian-Ming must also consider the growing influence and implications of Chinese-backed infrastructure financing in the region through its Belt and Road Initiative, the potential for corruption at the highest levels of Malaysian government through this deal, and the upcoming general election that could drastically shift political leadership and agendas. This case examines the complexity of these competing pressures and Dr. Kian-Ming’s decision-making process.