Could kites have been invented independently in Malaya and the South Seas?

Yes, it is possible that kites were invented independently in Malaya and the South Seas. While the kite was popularized in China nearly 3,000 years ago and subsequently migrated across Asia and into the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, and Oceania, there is evidence for a separate origin in the region. Specifically, because kites constructed from leaves have been flown in Malaya and the South Seas from time immemorial, researchers suggest they could have been developed there independently of the Chinese tradition.1