Politics

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said the country welcomes foreign investments that could "bring in capital and technologies."
Malaysia in transition

Mahathir turns to Beijing as growth loses momentum

Weaker quarterly GDP pushes government to seek new investment

17 August 2018
Malaysia, which ran ads against fake news like this one in a train station, appears to be signaling a renewed commitment to press freedom.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia scraps controversial 'fake news' law

Critics feared arbitrary enforcement of Najib's last-ditch legislation

17 August 2018
Mahathir Mohamad speaks during an campaign rally in Langkawi, Malaysia, on May 8. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
Malaysia in transition

Mahathir plays to public in first 100 days

Tax cuts and 1MDB probe come first, as tougher tasks are pushed back

17 August 2018
Indonesian masseuse Siti Aisyah, one of the two women accused of killing Kim Jong Nam, arrives at the Shah Alam High Court on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 16.
International relations

Women accused of Kim Jong Nam murder ordered to begin defense

Malaysian court rules enough evidence presented for trial to proceed

16 August 2018
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, met with Mahathir Mohamad earlier this month to prepare for the Malaysian prime minister's visit.
Malaysia in transition

Mahathir heads to China to review billion-dollar projects

Malaysian leader to meet with Jack Ma during five-day visit

16 August 2018
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad continues to win popular support three months into government. 
15 August 2018
Pipes carrying water from Malaysia to Singapore run alongside the causeway toward the Woodlands Checkpoint in Singapore.
Malaysia in transition

Mahathir says water sold to Singapore should cost 10 times more

Decades-old issue likely to be a bargaining chip for other negotiations

14 August 2018
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang in China.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's Mahathir to visit China from Friday

Prime minister will discuss 'unfairness' of Beijing-backed infrastructure projects

14 August 2018
Visitors walk past a Bombardier Global 5000 aircraft during the Abu Dhabi Air Expo in Abu Dhabi.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia seeks financier's $35m jet linked to 1MDB

Jho Low allegedly bought Bombardier plane with money from state fund

14 August 2018
Some question the effectiveness of the suspensions, as fresh ones are set up daily. (Getty Images)
Politics

Twitter puts foot down on fake followers in Southeast Asia

Sway over elections in Cambodia, Malaysia and Pakistan raises concerns

11 August 2018
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, right, received an honorary doctorate from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Beppu, Japan on Aug. 9. (Photo by CK Tan)
Malaysia in transition

Mahathir woos Japanese university to set up Malaysia campus

Ritsumeikan institution shows interest, Tokyo willing to back initiative

9 August 2018
Protesters in Kuala Lumpur carry signs illustrating Low Taek Jho as a pirate. The financier is considered to be a key player in the 1MDB scandal.
Malaysia in transition

Najib's prosecution hangs on testimony of fugitive financier

Lengthy trial expected as former prime minister faces new 1MDB charges

9 August 2018
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak arrives in court in Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 8.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's Najib charged with 1MDB-linked money laundering

Former PM accused of taking $10.3m and faces potential 15-year jail term

8 August 2018
In a speech on Aug. 7, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad spoke of environmental-friendly cars, such as Toyota hybrid vehicles, as the choice for the future. 
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia seeks Toyota and Nissan's help for national car project

Contact made by unnamed company while delegation schedules talks with Daihatsu

7 August 2018
Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party campaigned with posters like this one, but its victory was always a foregone conclusion.
Politics

Malaysia and Cambodia widen the democracy-dictatorship divide

With 2018 elections, neighbors tug ASEAN in opposing political directions

4 August 2018
China and Malaysia have identified fighting corruption as a new area of cooperation ahead of an upcoming official visit by Prime Minister Mahathir later this month.
Malaysia in transition

China-owned company denies reports of siphoning funds to 1MDB

Beijing and Kuala Lumpur to cooperate in fighting corruption

1 August 2018
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's government has begun implementing eight of its "10 promises in 100 days." But its sales tax plan, infrastructure review and other policies are sowing confusion. (© Nikkei montage/Source photo by Reuters)
Asia Insight

Mahathir government's mixed signals make for uneasy honeymoon

China, Singapore and Malaysians themselves all have questions

31 July 2018
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during the Indo-Pacific Business Forum at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington on July 30. (Getty Images)
International relations

US answers Belt and Road with own Indo-Pacific investment plan

Pompeo to visit Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia this week

31 July 2018
Azman Mokhtar, managing director of Kazanah Nasional, in 2014: Board members of the sovereign wealth fund exit as Malaysia's government goes on an anti-political-interference drive.
Malaysia in transition

Board of Malaysian sovereign wealth fund resigns en masse

Khazanah Nasional shake-up to have domino effect on state-linked companies

26 July 2018
The flag of a Chinese government-owned company flutters on a ferryboat in Laos near the construction site of a high-speed railway project.
Belt and Road

Chinese project spending empowers Southeast Asia's strongmen

A giant new stadium being built in Cambodia gives authoritarian rule a lift

25 July 2018
Mahathir Mohamad was re-elected as prime minister of Malaysia having promised to reduce the burden on consumers.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia tax cuts push up consumer-related shares

All eyes on September introduction of alternative levy

23 July 2018
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, center left, and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte attended a boxing match together in Malaysia Sunday.
International relations

Mahathir hosts Duterte in regional anti-terrorism push

Malaysian leader seeks united front against China's maritime buildup

17 July 2018
The nomination of retired judge Mohamad Ariff Yusof as the speaker of Malaysia's parliament is part of the institutional reform spearheaded by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, above.
Malaysia in transition

Mahathir returns to Malaysia's parliament and names new speaker

Prime minister reforms lower house with nomination of retired judge

16 July 2018
Malaysian Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng is pushing to lower the costs of ongoing infrastructure projects.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia to halve cost of key rail project in infrastructure review

Mahathir government shows determination on fiscal discipline

12 July 2018
A port in China's Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China. Concerns are rising over a full-out trade war. 
Economy

Concerns deepen over trade war impact on ASEAN, survey says

JCER report predicts weaker currencies and higher interest rates

10 July 2018