Morning Brief

It’s been a lively week for Alibaba Group, the Chinese e-commerce giant worth 220 billion US dollars. Its boss, Jack Ma made an appearance in China after being absent for 3 years. This was then followed by the shock announcement that it would split into 6 business units, marking the biggest restructuring in the company’s 24 year history. Brock Silvers, CEO, Kaiyuan Capital tells us his views of th...

Last week Sri Lanka finally secured a USD$3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after nearly a year of negotiations. Does this IMF bailout signal that the worst is over and how will Sri Lanka rebuild its battered economy? Dr. Chulanee Attanayeke, Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore discusses Sri Lanka's difficult path to recovery. Image credit: Shuttersto...

The Bursa Carbon Exchange (BCX) was launched in December 2022 as part of national efforts towards reducing carbon emissions. Earlier this month on 16 March, the first auction of carbon credits was conducted involving two products featuring offsets from projects in China and Cambodia. Can the BCX gain traction and help Malaysia achieve its net-zero emissions goal by 2050? Dr. Pieter Stek of the Asi...

The visit of Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim to Saudi Arabia last week was a golden opportunity to elevate his standing as Muslim statesman, given the strategic importance of relations with the Saudis. However it has instead become political fodder for the opposition, after he met neither the head of state King Salman nor the Prime Minister, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman during the visit...

The Burmese junta marked the annual Armed Forces Day this week with a military parade and a rare speech by General Min Aung Hlaing, who reiterated the pledge to hold elections when the state of emergency ends. What is the junta's version of democracy and can the international community exert any influence? We discuss the latest developments with Hunter Marston of ANU. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omn...

The government is proposing the Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link elevated highway, to disperse traffic from Bandar Utama to Bandar Kinrara as part of the attempt to ease the congestion along the LDP. But is another highway the solution? David Yoong, Chairman, of Stakeholders cum Residents Against PJD Link (SCRAP Highway) gives us the reason why they are against this project. Image credit: Shutterstock...

The government is hard at work to fulfil its election manifesto pledge of dismantling monopolies and putting a stop to profiteering. But are all monopolies bad? Economist, Dr Nungsari A. Radhi gives us that answer whilst we also discuss government appointments at Statutory Bodies and GLICS. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There have been high hopes that Chinese consumers will spend with a vengeance once the zero-Covid policy is lifted, providing a much needed boost to China's economy. Have these expectations materialised? We discuss consumer trends in China with Catherine Lim of Bloomberg Intelligence. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The enactment of the Sexual Offences Against Children (SOAC) Act in 2017 was a significant achievement, but the intervening years have revealed shortcomings in the law. Hence the government is proposing to introduce amendments to the SOAC Act to strengthen the child protection framework. Dato' Sri Azalina Othman, Minister for Law & Institutional Reform explains the rationale and implications o...

The Biden administration recently unveiled tight new restrictions on operations in China by semiconductor manufacturers that obtain federal funds to build in the U.S. Louise Loo, China Economist at Oxford Economics tells us what impact these raft of measures have on China's attempt to be 70% self sustaining in this critical sector by 2030. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim held a three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia last week, coinciding with the start of Ramadhan. However, the visit oddly concluded without any meetings between Anwar Ibrahim with the Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman or King Salman Abdul Aziz. Is there anything to read from these developments and what does this bode for the future of Malaysia-Saudi bilateral...

There are serious gaps in the government’s housing policy for the urban poor, as revealed in the latest study by Khazanah Research Institute. We speak to Dr. Suraya Ismail on the main findings of the study and policy recommendations to consider. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, entered the lion’s den of the US Congress yesterday to argue against banning the app, as some lawmakers are proposing. We get the key takeaways of his testimony and what this means for the broader tech industry with Caitlin Chin of CSIS. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the recent appointments of Dato Dr. Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki as Secretary General and Azalina Othman as information chief we ask Dr James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies, University of Tasmania whether an UMNO revival will happen anytime soon Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was revealed in January that as many as 6 million Covid-19 vaccine shots are left in stock in Malaysia, after expired doses were destroyed due to poor demand. Why is it so tricky to estimate the amount of vaccines needed? Dr Khoo Yoong Khean, Scientific Officer, Duke-NUS Centre for Outbreak Preparedness, talks to us about navigating the balance of ensuring enough stock to tackle any pandemic wh...

The Dewan Rakyat approved the setting up of 10 Parliamentary Special Select Committees to oversee the decisions made by the government across the various ministries. We discuss why initiatives to empower select committees are important with parliamentary researcher Maha Balakrishnan. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thailand is set to hold general elections on May 14. Who will become the next Prime Minister - will it be the incumbent, former military general turned politician Prayuth Chan-ocha? Or would we see the return of a member of the Shinawatra political dynasty? We get insights from Dr. Termsak Chalermpalanupap of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

The banking crises in the US and Europe sparked a continued appetite for exposure to precious metals, especially gold. Will safe haven flows remain the the key trade for precious metals amid the uncertain macro backdrop? We discuss the outlook for metals with Zhu Yi of Bloomberg Intelligence. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can Malaysia's structural problem when it comes to labour, wages and the availability of jobs. be addressed with more of our young embarking on Technical and Vocational Education and Training? The Human Resources Ministry believes this may be the answer as it seeks to restructure these programmes in Malaysia. Dr Niaz Asadullah, Southeast Asia Lead at the Global Labour Organisation and a Professor...

22nd March marks World Water Day, observed annually by the United Nations to highlight the importance of access to water and sanitation. What investments are needed to ensure sustainable water supply for Malaysia? S. Piarapakaran of the Association of Water and Energy Research gives us his recommendations. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although Western countries have attempted to isolate Russia from the global economy, China provides an economic lifeline, with trade between the two countries surging to a record $190 billion US dollars in 2022. What do both sides gain from the alliance? We discuss the key takeaways from the summit between President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping in Moscow this week with Dr. Alexey Muravi...

UMNO's recent party elections saw president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi cementing his grip on the party, with his loyalists sweeping most of the top posts, including two out of three vice-president posts. Ibrahim Suffian, Program Director at Merdeka Centre, helps us analyse what this means for the party's future as Perikatan Nasional seeks to oust Umno's self-declared position as champion of the...

Japan and South Korea have long had a frenemy-type relationship as a result of historical grievances. Does the recent visit to Tokyo by President Yoon Suk Yeol herald a new age in their bilateral relations? We discuss the outcome of this landmark visit with Tokyo-based journalist William Pesek. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Works Ministry has announced that the Multi Lane Free-Flow system may be implemented at all highways enabling non-stop toll collection while also allowing users to use payment systems other than Touch'n Go, which is currently the only option. The Transport Ministry also says Touch'n Go might also not be the only option to pay for rides. Alexander Wong, Managing Editor & Co-Founder of SoyaC...

The government is looking to set up an independent commission for children’s rights. What should be the mandate of this body and how will it strengthen the enforcement of child protection legislation? We discuss this with children’s rights advocate Srividhya Ganapathy of CRIB Foundation. Image credit: Bernama & NST See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.