https://www.scmp.com/rss/521864/feed Viewfinder Global Affairs, a Malaysian-based global affairs consulting firm, specialises in guiding commercial and non-profit organisations through complex geopolitical landscapes and domestic political challenges. Led by Managing Director Adib Zalkapli, the company offers tailored, data-driven insights and custom solutions, including crisis management and geopolitical risk mitigation. Their services, rooted in regional expertise, aim to help clients worldwide prepare, protect, and prosper by... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof As Washington redraws the global map for critical minerals, Malaysia is pitching itself to the United States as a “trusted” link in the supply chain while making clear it will not serve as a quarry shipping out unprocessed resources. Analysts say the stance reflects a careful balancing act: Kuala Lumpur wants US capital and technology to build downstream industries at home but is wary of being seen as taking sides in an intensifying US–China contest over strategic resources. A ban on raw rare... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343222/malaysia-courts-us-climb-critical-minerals-value-chain-while-keeping-raw-export-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343222/malaysia-courts-us-climb-critical-minerals-value-chain-while-keeping-raw-export-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 13:16:17 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim on Monday said his government would seek parliament’s nod to impose a term limit on the country’s prime minister tenure, in a move seen as an attempt to regain the support of his core voter base ahead of the national polls in two years. Anwar’s ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition has been battered politically since he took power in 2022, as supporters censured his administration for failing to live up to its reform pledges by accommodating corruption-tainted former... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338795/anwar-limit-malaysia-pm-term-reform-push-re-energise-supporters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338795/anwar-limit-malaysia-pm-term-reform-push-re-energise-supporters?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 10:55:39 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan As Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration swings from one setback to another, his ruling coalition has turned to familiar talking points to regain the support of the country’s ethnic minorities. In the wake of a devastating defeat in the Sabah state election last month, members of Anwar’s ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition have renewed a push for government recognition of school leaving certificates issued by private Chinese high schools. The call, however, has driven a wedge... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337123/anwars-coalition-revives-malaysian-chinese-school-certification-debate-sparking-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337123/anwars-coalition-revives-malaysian-chinese-school-certification-debate-sparking-row?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 13:08:06 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysia’s plan to bar children aged 16 and under from having social media accounts from next year has sparked a public backlash, as experts warn that enforcement gaps, privacy risks and vague guidelines could blunt the policy’s impact. Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said on Sunday that social media platforms would be required to implement electronic know-your-customer (eKYC) identity checks in 2026 under the Online Safety Act, which comes into force on January 1. Users will have to verify... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3333904/malaysias-bid-bar-under-16s-social-media-using-id-checks-stokes-privacy-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3333904/malaysias-bid-bar-under-16s-social-media-using-id-checks-stokes-privacy-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 06:02:51 +0000 Joseph Sipalan,Iman Muttaqin Yusof Joseph Sipalan,Iman Muttaqin Yusof Next to a bustling expressway funnelling Malaysia’s exports to the world, Danish shipping giant Maersk has placed a US$118 million bet that Southeast Asia will not only withstand the new tariff era, but find a way to prosper. Maersk’s largest Asia-Pacific distribution centre opened in Shah Alam, Selangor state, on Wednesday. Seven years in the planning, it was conceived well before Donald Trump’s tariff-wielding return to the White House disrupted supply chains and slashed corporate margins. But... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3331978/who-wins-us-china-trade-war-maersks-malaysia-mega-bet-backs-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3331978/who-wins-us-china-trade-war-maersks-malaysia-mega-bet-backs-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:00:11 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Southeast Asia’s economies need to quickly open new markets for their exports through trade groups such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), experts say, as US tariffs begin to bite. Economic ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will meet in Kuala Lumpur next week to discuss the way ahead, weeks after US tariffs of between 10 and 40 per cent on their exports took effect. They will meet RCEP counterparts during the week-long meeting, and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3326149/us-tariffs-bite-asean-urged-embrace-rcep-economic-shield?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3326149/us-tariffs-bite-asean-urged-embrace-rcep-economic-shield?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Sep 2025 08:50:34 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Malaysia has announced its first home-made AI chip – a processor designed by SkyeChip – but experts warn that surviving the perils of making and selling chips in an age of global tech competition may be just as hard as achieving that breakthrough. SkyeChip, based in Malaysia’s tech hub of Penang, on Monday unveiled its AI processor, which can be used to power anything from data centres to digital in-car systems and robots. The invention potentially opens the door to the Southeast Asian nation’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3323313/malaysias-skyechip-enters-ai-race-who-will-be-its-running-mate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3323313/malaysias-skyechip-enters-ai-race-who-will-be-its-running-mate?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 09:30:07 +0000 Joseph Sipalan,Hadi Azmi Joseph Sipalan,Hadi Azmi Southeast Asian nations are scrambling to recalibrate their approach to US tariffs ahead of a key diplomatic gathering that starts in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, as Washington’s preference for one-on-one trade deals casts doubt over Asean’s collective bargaining power. US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced a delay to the next round of his sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs – pushing the deadline from July 9 to August 1 – to give time for finalising deals with 18 major trade partners,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3317221/trumps-vietnam-tariff-pact-challenges-asean-unity-foreign-ministers-meet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3317221/trumps-vietnam-tariff-pact-challenges-asean-unity-foreign-ministers-meet?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jul 2025 08:02:30 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Expertly switching between woks as he whips up appam, the coconut and rice batter pancakes that draw morning commuters to his roadside stall in a Kuala Lumpur suburb, Raj Kumar harbours anxieties that simmer away beneath the calm: petrol subsidy cuts are looming and prices may soon rise again. At 44, Raj feels every shift in Malaysia’s rising cost of living – both in the prices he pays for ingredients and the rueful faces of his customers. “Our suppliers raised prices after diesel subsidies were... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3317006/anwars-petrol-subsidy-cuts-test-patience-malaysians-addicted-cheap-fuel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3317006/anwars-petrol-subsidy-cuts-test-patience-malaysians-addicted-cheap-fuel?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Jul 2025 07:00:09 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan US Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to Asia next week on a high-profile diplomatic tour, but his visit is not expected to ease growing anxiety in Southeast Asia, which is bracing itself for the return of steep US tariffs that threaten to derail growth and test ties with Washington. Rubio is expected to fly to Kuala Lumpur for meetings on July 10-11 with foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and other Asia-Pacific countries, according to media reports. He... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3316814/can-rubios-asia-tour-ease-anxiety-over-us-tariffs-or-it-just-short-term-gimmickry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3316814/can-rubios-asia-tour-ease-anxiety-over-us-tariffs-or-it-just-short-term-gimmickry?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 09:02:59 +0000