Former Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou has accused China of meddling with his speaking engagements in Malaysia.

Ma told reporters in Malacca that the event organisers refused to refer to him as the ‘former Taiwanese president’ because of pressure from Beijing.

"We are puzzled with the intervention of the Chinese Commnist Party embassy in Malaysia. They have caused so much problems," Ma said.

Some promotional material for two of Ma's speaking engagements described him as "world Chinese leader" or "former president" without any attribution to Taiwan.

However, Ma was properly introduced at the actual events prior to his turn to speak.

At the World Chinese Economic Summit (WCES) in Malacca today, Ma was spotted wearing a modified name tag.

During the press conference, Ma was asked whether this was an act of protest, to which he offered a diplomatic response.

"To prevent any untoward incidents, we created a name tag which read 'Former president of Republic of China Ma Ying-jeou'," he said.

He said this was necessary to defend his dignity and that of Taiwan.

Ma said his treatment in Malaysia was ironic because his critics back home had accused him of being "pro-China" during his two terms as president.

"But now I am here as a former president, I have to face such embarrassment. I cannot accept this," he said.

In a statement today, WCES founder and patron Lee Kim Yew said Ma, as a guest, should respect the organiser's decision to follow Foreign Affairs Ministry guidelines.

"Ma is not only a WCES guest but also a guest of Malaysia. He is such a distinguished guest. How he is being referred to should be in acoordance to the host's normal practices," said Lee.