Politics

Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is the co-founder of the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance, or MUDA. Muda, in the Malay language, means young. (Photo by Wong Ying Xian)
Malaysia in transition

28-year-old Malaysian aims to upend Mahathir-Anwar game of thrones

Syed Saddiq courts frustrated youth with new party ahead of next election

25 December 2020
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has formally passed his 2021 budget, keeping opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim at bay.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's Muhyiddin narrowly passes final budget vote test

Anwar musters 108 votes against COVID-fighting plan, short of claimed majority

15 December 2020
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had not earned the wrath of Gulf states when he attended this investment conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in October 2018.
International relations

Pakistanis pay price as Islamabad joins Turkey-Iran-Malaysia bloc

UAE blocks key source of income as it refuses to issue work visas to Pakistanis

4 December 2020
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, center, arrives for the lower house budget deliberations and vote on Nov. 26.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's COVID budget approved in critical vote for Muhyiddin

Embattled PM gets reprieve as lawmakers heed king's call for cooperation

26 November 2020
Malaysian Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, center, carries the 2021 budget to submit it to parliament in early November.
Interview

Malaysia's COVID recovery hinges on budget vote: finance minister

Lawmakers poised to decide on $78bn plan -- and PM Muhyiddin's fate

25 November 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visit the container terminal of Cosco in Piraeus in November 2019: has there ever really been such a thing as Chinese debt trap diplomacy?
Opinion

The myth of China's 'debt trap' diplomacy

Biden presidency likely to ease US-China acrimony over infrastructure

25 November 2020
The Chang'e 5 lunar probe completes vertical transport in Wenchang, Hainan, China on Nov. 17.
Your Week in Asia

China's moonshot, Xiaomi results, and India GDP

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

22 November 2020
U.S. President Donald Trump, bottom right, and other heads of government hold up a declaration at the first virtual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' summit in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 20.
International relations

APEC chiefs, including Trump, agree on free and fair trade

US, China and other members pledge to refrain from protectionist measures

21 November 2020
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks with Nikkei Asia in Kuala Lumpur. (Photo by Wong Ying Xian)
Interview

Mahathir on Biden and China: It 'couldn't be worse' than Trump

95-year-old talks APEC, Twitter controversy and Malaysia's next election

20 November 2020
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's video message to the APEC CEO Dialogues is shown on a screen in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 20.
International relations

APEC: Japan's Suga vows to push for bigger trade pacts after RCEP

All eyes on Trump and China ahead of virtual leaders meeting

20 November 2020
A screen shows Chinese President Xi Jinping speaking during the virtual APEC CEO Dialogues 2020 at a command center in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 19.
International relations

APEC: Xi says China has no intention of 'decoupling'

Thailand's Prayuth warns on COVID disruptions to regional connectivity

19 November 2020
The APEC logo is displayed on a screen: The coronavirus has forced Malaysia to settle for hosting the event virtually.
International relations

APEC in the COVID age: What to watch at Malaysia's online summit

Muhyiddin aims to avoid repeat of US-China deadlock at 2018 forum

19 November 2020
Queen Elizabeth II meets Scott Morrison and his wife Jennifer at Buckingham Palace in June 2019: the existence of monarchies in the 21st century is antithetical to democracy.
Opinion

Asia's monarchies are no longer earning their keep

Hereditary rule undermines humanity's relentless quest for equality

13 November 2020
Malaysia's economy is gradually coming back to life after a strict coronavirus lockdown earlier this year, but a recent wave of infections poses a threat.
Economy

Malaysia's Q3 GDP fall slows to 2.7% under persistent COVID cloud

'Not all is gloom and doom,' central banker says amid virus resurgence

13 November 2020
Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, left, and Finance Minister Zafrul Aziz pose before submitting the 2021 budget to parliament on Nov. 6.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's Muhyiddin pushes largest budget ever to fight COVID

Growth forecast to rebound to 7.5% in 2021; Anwar voices skepticism

6 November 2020
A worker sprays disinfectant outside a shop in Kuala Lumpur as Malaysia grapples with a new wave of coronavirus infections in late October.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia budget heads for parliament with Muhyiddin's job on line

COVID recovery plan hinges on lawmakers heeding king's call to cooperate

5 November 2020
Malaysia's Sultan Abdullah recently also rejected Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's request to declare a state of emergency over the rising cases of COVID-19.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysian king wades into politics again in break with norms

Sultan Abdullah seeks to ease impasse over 2021 budget addressing pandemic

30 October 2020
Mahathir Mohamad, the former Malaysian prime minister, called French President Emmanuel Macron "primitive" for blaming Islam in recent French slayings.
Islam in Asia

Mahathir on killings in France: Muslims have right to be angry

Three more people slain in Nice, as former Malaysian PM cites attack on teacher

30 October 2020
A woman passes a mural depicting embattled Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 27.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's Muhyiddin on thinner ice despite key parties' lifeline

UMNO renews support but analysts see failed emergency bid further undermining PM

27 October 2020
Malaysia's King Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin: The royal household says the king has confidence the government is already capable of handling the pandemic.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's king rejects COVID emergency in blow to Muhyiddin

Royal household sees 'no need' to give prime minister special powers

25 October 2020
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, left, and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim are locked in a standoff over who controls the lower house of parliament. (Source photos by AFP/Jiji and Reuters) 
Malaysia in transition

Muhyiddin-Anwar saga keeps Malaysia on edge as king halts meetings

Key ruling coalition party threatening PM to force election, analyst says

14 October 2020
China has been trying to win over emerging nations by providing support on the economic and coronavirus fronts.
International relations

Malaysia promised priority access to China's COVID vaccine

Beijing dials up charm offensive during foreign minister's Southeast Asian tour

14 October 2020
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim leaves the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur after meeting with the king on Oct. 13.   © Reuters
Most read in 2020

Malaysia's Anwar fails to win king's support to oust PM

Palace says he did not give 'names and details' to verify 120-plus backers

13 October 2020
Japan, the largest consumer of liquefied natural gas, hopes to keep funds flowing to gas field development projects.
Energy

Japan strives to lessen LNG supply chain's environmental burden

Partnership with Australia and ASEAN nations comes amid divestment trend

10 October 2020
Anwar leaves a news conference in Kuala Lumpur on Sept. 23, when he claimed to have secured a majority. The nation has been in suspense since then.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's Anwar says he will meet king Tuesday in bid to oust PM

Opposition leader claims he's ready to prove 'convincing majority'

8 October 2020