A construction site in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 15: Malaysia's government hopes its hefty budget will help bring down unemployment.
Economy

Malaysia unveils record $80bn budget to kick-start COVID recovery

Ismail Sabri government turns on taps to restore jobs under 'endemic' virus

29 October 2021
Malaysia's Finance Ministry says the 2022 budget will emphasize strengthening the health system, enhancing digital infrastructure and promoting high-productivity industries with job creation.
Economy

Malaysia's Ismail Sabri readies 1st budget of 'endemic COVID' era

Pact with opposition expected to smooth passage as job creation turns crucial

27 October 2021
Four of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' members -- Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei -- belong to the CPTPP trade pact.
International relations

China courts Vietnam and Malaysia for support on CPTPP bid

Outreach to ASEAN members key to groundwork for trade negotiations

27 October 2021
Tourism Minister Nancy Shukri, right, says strict safety protocols would be in place for the reopening. (File photo by Wong Ying Xian and Reuters)
Interview

Malaysia eyes allowing tourists from 10 nations next month: minister

Nancy Shukri says island haven Langkawi, Johor targeted for quarantine-free visits

22 October 2021
A port in Bangkok in 2016. Thailand's growth prospect was the lowest in the latest survey.
Economy

Thailand and Indonesia growth dips below forecasts: survey

U.S. monetary policy and Chinese economy pose uncertainties

4 October 2021
A Kuala Lumpur mall in early September: The Malaysian government continues to battle the pandemic but hopes to rev up the economy.
Coronavirus

Malaysia aims to unshackle economy as adult vaccinations near 90%

Daily cases dropping but breakthrough infection concerns persist

28 September 2021
A construction site in Kuala Lumpur on Sept. 27: The government has unveiled a $95.5 billion plan to accelerate growth and achieve developed country status.
Economy

Malaysia development plan moves up high-income nation goal to 2025

New government looks beyond COVID, targets 4.5-5.5% average GDP growth

27 September 2021
The ADB confirms Myanmar's industrial output and employment have fallen since an inconclusive military takeover in February.
Economy

ASEAN's delta battle mows nearly 1% off ADB growth forecast

Myanmar in line to contract 18.4% in 2021 as military rule and COVID take toll

22 September 2021
People outside a shopping mall in Jakarta in August. The Indonesian government that month entered into a debt-financing scheme with the central bank to keep the economy afloat.
Economy

ASEAN finances eroded by pandemic, stoking risk of currency slump

Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia resort to drastic measures to fund COVID relief

22 September 2021
Red flags flutter outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. China officially applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership last Thursday.
Trade

Malaysia welcomes China's bid to join CPTPP

Singapore also backs entry while Japan, Australia and Mexico remain cool

21 September 2021
A Toyota plant in Japan's Aichi Prefecture. The automaker has announced a 3% cut in production for this fiscal year.
Automobiles

Japan automakers slash production plans by over 1 million units

Resurgent pandemic in Southeast Asia wreaks havoc on chip supplies

12 September 2021
City skyline in Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia's system of heavy state intervention coupled with its adherence to the Malay privilege has created distorted markets primed to serve the needs of a small Malay elite.
Opinion

Not yet a failed state, Malaysia is decaying rapidly

Affirmative action policies have entrenched a crony capitalist system

10 September 2021
Malaysia's new Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob speaks during a National Day address at his office in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on Aug. 30. (Prime Minister's Office via AP)
Politics

Malaysia's Ismail Sabri faces battle to curb COVID and spur growth

New prime minister tasked with rebuilding public trust in government

6 September 2021
Hishammuddin Hussein, pictured in Singapore in June 2017: the first cousin of Najib is among the names mentioned as the next prime minister.
Opinion

Ghosts of Malaysia's past imperil its economic future

New leader will have less than a year to govern before the next election

19 August 2021
Malaysia continues to face serious headwinds despite a significant GDP rebound in the second quarter.
Economy

Malaysia's GDP grows 16.1% in Q2 but COVID darkens outlook

Central bank sharply downgrades full-year growth target to 3-4%

13 August 2021
A health worker helps a migrant worker fill up a declaration form during a screening test in Kuala Lumpur in May 2020: a development model that worked well in good times is now being tested.
Opinion

Malaysia's economic growth model is on the brink of collapse

Putrajaya must do more than rely on an influx of cheap labor

6 August 2021
Singapore's central bank is allowing United Overseas Bank, DBS and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp to pay out higher dividends.
Finance

Singapore's DBS hikes payouts as other lenders reel from COVID

Central banks in the city-state and Thailand ease guidance on dividends

5 August 2021
Muhyiddin Yassin, pictured in Putrajaya on Feb. 24; the Prime Minister spends more time fighting to keep his job than actually doing it.
Opinion

Malaysia's politicians brawl while the economy burns

Ten years of rudderless leadership is suddenly coming to a head

12 July 2021
Bangladesh has ample electric power for now but wants to add more renewables to its energy mix of the future.
International relations

Bangladesh scraps plans for 10 coal-fired power plants

Projects involving China, Japan and others axed due to environmental concerns

8 July 2021
A man who lost his job amid Malaysia's coronavirus restrictions hangs a white flag outside his Kuala Lumpur home on July 5.
Coronavirus

Malaysians' white flags put COVID economic pain on full display

Cash-strapped citizens cry for help as severe outbreak prolongs lockdown

6 July 2021
Shipping containers await transport from a port in Bangkok, Thailand in March 2016.
Economy

COVID surge puts brakes on Thai and Malaysia growth: survey

Virus variants and US rate hike loom over ASEAN economies

5 July 2021
Under a proposed bilateral agreement, Vietnam is set to send its workers to Israel to learn agricultural techniques used there. 
Agriculture

Southeast Asia looks to Israeli tech to improve farming techniques

Israel companies offer ways to boost production as region faces supply threats

20 June 2021
The extended lockdown in Malaysia has left the streets of its capital Kuala Lumpur deserted.
Markets

Emerging Asia faces capital outflow risk as Fed signals rate hike

Investors pulled $500m out of COVID-depressed markets in May

17 June 2021
Containerships at a port in Malaysia. The Southeast Asian nation's exports surged 63% in April.
Trade

Malaysia leads Southeast Asia recovery on digital device demand

Vietnam and Singapore also rebound while Philippines mired in slump

29 May 2021
Southeast Asian nations get relatively large proportions of their tax revenues from corporations.
Economy

Southeast Asian nations are stepping up taxation efforts

Moves to increase revenue from companies aim to fix pandemic-ravaged state finances

23 May 2021