Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim vows to focus on achieving faster growth. Left: Kuala Lumpur's new landmark, Merdeka 118, is a symbol of the country's growing affluence. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Hiroki Endo and Reuters)
Comment

How Malaysia is finding its way out of the middle-income trap

It has taken the slow but steady route while addressing an ethnic incongruity

24 December 2023
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks during an interview with Nikkei Asia on Dec. 17 in Tokyo. (Photo by Yuki Kohara) 
Interview

Malaysia's Anwar pushes for local currency transactions in trade

Country looks to 'gradually' reduce dollar dependency to avoid forex risks

18 December 2023
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, pictured in Tokyo on Dec. 17, argues that some countries that promote democracy and human rights are engaging in "hypocrisy" when it comes to Gaza. (Photo by Yuki Kohara) 
Interview

Malaysia's Anwar slams 'hypocrisy' over Gaza crisis

Prime minister reiterates call for humanitarian cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war

17 December 2023
Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, pictured at the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, has revamped his cabinet.
Politics

Malaysia launching digital ministry to drive AI and growth

Anwar announces major cabinet reshuffle after government's first anniversary

12 December 2023
Workers at a construction site in Kuala Lumpur: Most workers in Malaysia are employed by small and medium size businesses.
Economy

Malaysia plans new wage scheme for low-income workers

'Progressive' model targets small business, but effectiveness questioned

7 December 2023
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his allies have realized that it is best to try to work with members of the establishment bureaucracy.
Opinion

Surviving a year as PM, Anwar just might get through four more

Malaysia's unity government has to improve its messaging to keep public onside

6 December 2023
Jiang Hui, in the white cap at left, a representative of the families of MH370 passengers, speaks to reporters outside a courthouse in Beijing on Nov. 27. (Photo by CK Tan)
International relations

Chinese court hears suit on missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370

Case filed by 'tortured' families nearly a decade after jetliner vanished

27 November 2023
Leaders from ASEAN and Japan join hands for a photo at the ASEAN-Japan Summit in Jakarta in September.
International relations

ASEAN must pursue technology in ties with Japan, expert says

Malaysian think tank director suggests cooperation beyond trade, business

26 November 2023
A woman walks inside Penang International Airport's arrival hall. The Malaysian state of Penang is popular with Indonesian medical tourists. (Photo by Randy Mulyanto)
Health Care

Malaysia's Penang lures medical tourists from Indonesia

Geographic proximity, linguistic similarities, quality and costs among advantages

21 November 2023
Anwar Ibrahim became Malaysia's 10th prime minister in November 2022. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Rie Ishii and Hiroki Endo)
Asia Insight

Anwar struggles to boost Malaysian economy a year after victory

Rising food prices and weak currency hamper prime minister's reform plans

21 November 2023
Wajah (center), a migrant from Indonesia, has worked at a food stall in Malaysia for the past five years. (Photo by Amy Chew)
Indonesia election

Indonesian politicians court pivotal diaspora votes in Malaysia

Ahead of elections, migrant workers call on visiting politicians to protect them from abuse

20 November 2023
Fumio Kishida became the first Japanese prime minister to address the Philippine Congress on Nov. 4. 
The Nikkei View

Japan and ASEAN should push forward with security cooperation

Both sides must deepen ties in the face of China's maritime aggression

8 November 2023
The rush to harness the wind that blows around the South China Sea could increase the geopolitical tensions that already swirl over the strategic body of water.
South China Sea

South China Sea brims with rare earth and renewable power promise

Chinese companies are early movers with wind turbines in disputed waterway

3 November 2023
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks during a rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 24.
Middle East crisis

For Malaysia's Anwar, Israel-Hamas war is both personal and political

Analysts see genuine pro-Palestinian advocacy as well as a bid for Islamic credibility

1 November 2023
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The Big Story

China's panda business: How zoos from U.S. to Japan fund Beijing soft power

'Panda diplomacy' has cost countries nearly $300 million over past three decades

1 November 2023
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, left, and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong shake hands after a joint news conference in Singapore on Oct. 30. (Pool photo via Reuters)
International relations

Singapore and Malaysia eye special economic zone on border

PMs Lee and Anwar discuss bilateral projects; expect agreement in January

30 October 2023
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to China from Nov. 4 to 7 to meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.
Your Week in Asia

BOJ policy meeting, Hong Kong FinTech Week, Australia PM visits China

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

29 October 2023
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has big ambitions for his country's startups.
DealStreetAsia

Malaysia seeks to put state-run VCs under sovereign wealth fund

Goal is to make country a top global startup ecosystem, Anwar Ibrahim says

16 October 2023
Goldman Sachs and Malaysia's government are locked in a legal wrangle over a financial settlement related to the massive 1MDB sovereign wealth fund scandal. (NIKKEI montage/Source photos by AP and Getty)
Crime

Malaysia's 1MDB task force calls Goldman arbitration move 'premature'

Government, investment bank at odds over promised $500m repayment

12 October 2023
Chicken rendang with white rice served at a restaurant in Selangor: The Malaysian government has taken new initiatives to support restaurants in the face of rising rice prices.
Inflation

Malaysia lets restaurants buy imported rice at wholesale prices

Government seeks to stabilize supply of staple in move against inflation

11 October 2023
Ex-Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng exits the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in 2022. Ng is a key figure in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB, sovereign wealth fund corruption scandal.
Crime

Ex-Goldman banker reportedly returns to Malaysia for 1MDB probe

Roger Ng was sentenced to 10 years in U.S. prison for involvement in scandal

9 October 2023
The Malaysian Health Minister will table an amendment to the Tobacco Act, which is part of the Generational End Game policy, aiming to restrict tobacco products to people born after 2007.
Your Week in Asia

Malaysian tobacco ban bill, Singapore GDP, New Zealand election

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

8 October 2023
A worker unloads palm oil fruit bunches at a factory in Tanjung Karang, Malaysia. Profits at Malaysian palm oil companies have been plummeting.
Trade

Malaysia to double palm oil exports to China, dodge EU restrictions

The two Asian nations sign infrastructure investment deals worth $4.2bn

18 September 2023
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks at the Unity Government Convention in Kuala Lumpur in May. Anwar now must worry about a growing conservative bent among voters. (Photo by Norman Goh)
Economy

Malaysia PM Anwar seeks economic boost as headwinds strengthen

Experts say rising conservatism could end up denting investor confidence

15 September 2023
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The Big Story

Inside Malaysia's $15bn battle with the lost Sultanate of Sulu

Hereditary rulers of kingdom in the Philippines see court case as way back to former greatness

6 September 2023