The prime minister has defended Huawei and suggested Western nations were hypocritical in their espionage concerns, but that stance overlooks a bigger risk – whoever builds a network has the power to take it over or shut it down.

However, Gao encountered resistance from participants, who referenced the protests in Hong Kong and the treatment of Uygurs to criticise Beijing’s approach to governing.

Citizenship and basic rights are key to ensuring the safe repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees from Bangladesh.

Young people across Southeast Asia are leading the charge to bring about political change using social media – but rising digital authoritarianism to tackle fake news could affect whether these movements flourish, analysts say.

The ongoing debate over how the region should style itself has come into sharp focus as Asean adopted the US-style “Indo Pacific” at its recent summit.

Former Malaysian leader Najib Razak stands accused of playing a key role in the 1MDB scandal and faces more than 40 charges of corruption, as officials intensify their efforts to recover the siphoned funds.

Malaysia’s agriculture minister says more Malaysian companies are hoping to obtain permission to export to China; its advantage, according to an expert, is that the flavours of fully ripened durian are more in line with Chinese tastes.

At a forum on Malaysia-China relations, deputy defence minister Liew Chin Tong says Beijing must prove its rise is peaceful, while Chinese Minister Counselor Chen Chen says ties are ‘soaring through the roof’.

Huang Jing was permanently banned from the city state over claims he tried to influence foreign policy for an unknown government. He says he has just spent a year in Washington to ‘prove’ himself but admits he ‘made some mistakes’

Just over a year after a watershed election heralded a new era for Malaysia’s democracy, dirty politics are back with a vengeance, sex videos and all.

Haziq Abdul Aziz made headlines earlier this week after confessing to appearing in a sex video with another man, who he claimed was a government minister.

Observers believe the park will bring much-needed foreign direct investment to Malaysia’s east coast, and the escalating trade war will lure Chinese manufacturers to relocate factories.

Haziq claims the economic affairs minister sent political secretary Hilman Idham to ask him to help in a cover up. But Hilman reported the allegations to Islamic authorities, claiming his boss is a victim of false accusations.

Economic affairs minister Azmin Ali claims allegations of him being in a gay sex video are the latest in a series of attempts to assassinate his reputation.

PKR politician Muhammad Haziq Abdul Aziz said he was the other man in the video, with the case prompting comparisons to the sodomy rumours that hounded party leader Anwar Ibrahim for years.

The controversial televangelist, who has claimed September 11 was an ‘inside job’, fled India in 2016 – and the Mahathir administration, struggling to retain its Muslim-Malay vote bank, may take a blow to its popularity if he is deported.

Should PM-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim be worried about Malaysia’s new anti-graft chief? Ask the current PM, Mahathir Mohamad, who went against his manifesto to appoint her

For many displaced families, the Muslim festival is a low-key affair as they eke out a living in a strange land.

Advertisements for the Eid celebration are more than just a branding exercise. The short films have garnered a huge following over the years, stemming from the beloved work of late filmmaker Yasmin Ahmad.

Aziq Azman has not been able to travel for the past two years after authorities put him on a blacklist for drinking alcohol.

The prime minister has suggested the Trump administration’s campaign against the firm is hypocritical, while experts say Kuala Lumpur’s 20-year relationship with Huawei means it will not blindly follow Washington.

Prime minister has confirmed preferential treatment for so-called Bumiputra companies will also apply to hiring for multibillion-dollar construction project, but detractors say affirmative action risks compromising on quality and policy rubbishes election promises of full equality.

Environment minister Yeo Bee Yin says the Southeast Asian country ‘won’t continue to be a dumping ground for developed nations’. The 10 shipping containers of refuse to be sent back contain plastic packaging and e-waste.

As the trade war threatens to put Chinese rare earth minerals out of America’s grasp, Washington turns to alternative sources to fill the gap. In Malaysia, few are willing to tolerate the environmental damage that would entail.

The former postgraduate student in the faculty of dentistry said she went public to ‘protect other students, to make sure their safety is not jeopardised’.

A better than expected first quarter gives the new government cause for celebration – but fears for exports and uncertainties for investors over leadership transition mean it shouldn’t rest on its laurels.

As the new Pakatan Harapan government grapples with helming a ‘new Malaysia’, will they succeed in ensuring the bloody spectre of the politically spurred May 13 incident remains a thing of the past?

He’s garnered a fair few accolades since starting out in comedy, but one of Jason Leong’s claims to fame has nothing to do with his jokes – and he’s hoping it will land him a role in a Hollywood film.

From Hong Kong to Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur, Muslims in the region have begun the holy month of fasting from dawn till dusk, with communal bonds and traditions binding their communities amid changing societies.

As Malaysia marks the Pakatan Harapan’s historic election victory over the Barisan Nasional, critics say the prime minister’s second stint in power is beginning to resemble his first – when he ruled with an iron fist.