https://www.scmp.com/rss/503867/feed Tham Siew Yean is Professor Emeritus at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and a Visiting Senior Fellow with the ISEAS – Yusof ishak Institute in Singapore. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Tham Siew Yean Tham Siew Yean When Malaysia unveiled its National Artificial Intelligence Roadmap in 2022, it promised a future of innovation and prosperity. But as geopolitical tensions mount, the country’s aspirations risk being stifled by forces it struggles to control: tariffs, export bans and a global scramble for the chips that power tomorrow’s technology. That road map for 2021 to 2025 placed particular emphasis on AI applications in supply chains; agriculture and forestry; medical and healthcare; smart cities and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3321266/malaysias-ai-dreams-victim-us-china-tech-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3321266/malaysias-ai-dreams-victim-us-china-tech-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Aug 2025 04:00:11 +0000 Most studies of Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative to grow global trade have focused on the goals that China seeks to achieve, oftentimes at the expense of host countries. It is viewed through such a lens largely because of the scale of financing and number of players involved. In 2016, the Chinese government allocated more than US$900 billion to belt and road projects through facilities such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Silk Road Fund and the China Development... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3112665/tale-two-belt-and-road-initiative-port-projects-malaysia-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3112665/tale-two-belt-and-road-initiative-port-projects-malaysia-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Dec 2020 03:00:12 +0000 Chinese companies have tended to conduct investments in Southeast Asia through subsidiaries in Singapore, leveraging the city state’s advantage as a financial hub. For Indonesia, the first wave came in 2008 and coincided with Tsingshan Group’s investment in the mining industry in Sulawesi. The second wave came in 2015. This coincided with the signing of a comprehensive strategic partnership between Indonesia and China. Since then, Tsingshan has invested significantly in smelter projects in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3105892/have-chinese-investments-indonesian-and-malaysian-industrial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3105892/have-chinese-investments-indonesian-and-malaysian-industrial?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Oct 2020 02:00:13 +0000 As Malaysia is plunged into a political impasse after Mahathir Mohamad unexpectedly resigned as prime minister, there are questions on whether a change in government will lead to yet another review of mega-projects, including the China-backed East Coast Rail Link (ECRL). The US$11 billion rail project, which is part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), was at first suspended, then reviewed and renegotiated, before being reinstated about a year later. The review came after the Pakatan... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3052768/why-malaysias-ecrl-project-should-go-new-government-or-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3052768/why-malaysias-ecrl-project-should-go-new-government-or-not?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Feb 2020 23:00:19 +0000