Sunday May 19 2013

Content about Malaysia

February 1, 2013
The gamechanger

Malaysian techpreneur has built a groundbreaking firm that now handles 60 million online transactions annually.

Ganesh Kumar Bangah turned 23 in true techpreneur style. He listed a company, entered the Malaysian Book of Records as the youngest chief executive officer of a public-listed company, and pocketed his first 1 million ringgit ($328,812).

That was in 2002. Just a few years earlier, he had merely been an ambitious engineering undergraduate. He had been managing cybercafés and peddling a proprietary cybercafé management system, having developed it with a business partner.

April 2, 2013
Corporate Malaysia ‘shake-up’ looms

If elected, opposition is expected to change policies in a country dominated by state-linked firms.

The long-entrenched texture of corporate Malaysia is set to change dramatically if opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) wins the country’s looming and highly-charged general election.

For as long as it has existed, the direction of Malaysia Inc has been chiefly determined by a single entity — the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

April 2, 2013
Washermen face health hazards

CHEAP CHEMICALS IN SOAPS AND SODA USED IN LAUNDRIES POSE DANGERS.

An array of shirts, trousers, sarees, petticoats, blouses, pyjamas and towels hung on rows of wires sway, flutter and balloon in the breeze with the sun helpfully beating down on them. The heavier fabrics such as bed sheets, durries and quilt covers are spread out on the ground to dry.

March 18, 2013
A credit to the global banking system

UnionPay cards help yuan become increasingly international currency.

Zhou Kang relied solely on his Chinese UnionPay card to meet all bills during a seven-day trip to South Korea over the Spring Festival last month.

"Wherever I went I saw the logo for UnionPay and cashiers always asked me if I wanted to settle bills using it," said Zhou, 35.

March 15, 2013
Banks turn Islamic degrees into assets

Malaysia has succeeded in developing a vibrant and modern Islamic banking and financial industry over the last three decades.

Malaysia has succeeded in developing a vibrant and modern Islamic banking and financial industry over the last three decades.

The Islamic Banking Act, which came into force in 1983, paved the way for the nation to develop a vibrant and modern Islamic banking and financial industry.

Initially, the industry served as an alternative channel for Muslims to perform banking and financial transactions in accordance with Islamic practices and avoid practices that have elements of oppression prohibited by Islam.

March 15, 2013
Crunch time for TPP

fears mount that US will push to change intellectual property rules with ‘damaging’ effects.

The latest round of talks between members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) ended in Singapore this month much the same way as it began — shrouded in secrecy.

More than 600 delegates from the 11-member group — the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam — negotiated from March 4 to 13. Among the few details that emerged is that the group intends to push for an end-of-year deadline to finalize the agreements and to open the door to Japan and South Korea.

March 7, 2013
Energy trade surplus for US

China, US' clean energy trade worth $8.5b in 2011, report says.

The United States enjoyed a $1.6 billion trade surplus in clean energy trade with China in 2011, showing that US companies still hold an absolute advantage over their Chinese counterparts, according to a report released by the Pew Charitable Trusts on Wednesday.

The two countries traded more than $8.5 billion worth of clean energy goods and services in 2011, the last year for which data are available.

March 1, 2013
Road show brings Spring Festival cheer to Australia

Peter Yang says he tries to avoid showing up in his food store at the Chinatown in downtown Adelaide, capital city of South Australia, these days.

Peter Yang says he tries to avoid showing up in his food store at the Chinatown in downtown Adelaide, capital city of South Australia, these days.

"I hate to be confronted with my customers asking for tickets," Yang says, referring to the sold-out performance given by a group of China's finest singers and dancers, who have been on an annual one-month global tour to entertain overseas Chinese during the Chinese Lunar New Year season since 2009.

February 19, 2013
Homecoming dreams

Their father left Anxi county in Fujian province for greener pastures in Southeast Asia as a teenager in 1937.

Their father left Anxi county in Fujian province for greener pastures in Southeast Asia as a teenager in 1937. Fast forward 75 years, and 60-year-old Lim Kok Thay and his youngest brother Lim Chee Wah, 57, have traced back their father's footsteps back to China, to realize his dream of giving back to their homeland.

The two brothers have established what they call a "world-class holistic integrated resort like no other" in Chong Li county, Zhangjiakou city in Hebei province.

February 8, 2013
Still room for ASEAN to keep growing

In 2013, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is set to be the region to be situated in.

In 2013, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is set to be the region to be situated in. After an estimated growth of 5.2 percent purchasing power parity (PPP)-weighted basis, we project the region to grow by 5.3 percent in 2013, outpacing the International Monetary Fund’s global growth estimate of 3.6 percent. The region is expected to see economies such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia matching or exceeding their 10-year average rates.

February 8, 2013
Welcoming festival of fangs

Penang’s first Snake Temple Festival celebrates serpents and the deity they protect.

The spotlight may be focused on snakes this Lunar New Year, but the slithering reptiles have long been the center of attention at Fu Xing Gong, the Snake Temple in Penang, Malaysia, also known as Ban Kah Lan Chua Beow in the widely spoken Hokkien dialect, meaning the Temple of the Azure Clouds.

However, snakes are not worshipped at this temple. “They are more like bodyguards of the temple’s deity, Chor Soo Kong,” explains Cheah Cheng Ean, organizing chairman of the first Snake Temple Festival to be held this Lunar New Year.

February 8, 2013
Welcoming festival of fangs

Penang’s first Snake Temple Festival celebrates serpents and the deity they protect.

The spotlight may be focused on snakes this Lunar New Year, but the slithering reptiles have long been the center of attention at Fu Xing Gong, the Snake Temple in Penang, Malaysia, also known as Ban Kah Lan Chua Beow in the widely spoken Hokkien dialect, meaning the Temple of the Azure Clouds.

However, snakes are not worshipped at this temple. “They are more like bodyguards of the temple’s deity, Chor Soo Kong,” explains Cheah Cheng Ean, organizing chairman of the first Snake Temple Festival to be held this Lunar New Year.

February 6, 2013
China, Malaysia launch joint industrial park

Second such venture reflects close ties between the two countries.

China and Malaysia launched a second joint industrial park on Tuesday, elevating economic ties to a new high.

Jia Qinglin, chairman of China's top advisory body, together with Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak, attended the ground-breaking ceremony.

Najib proposed the establishment of the park after the two countries decided to develop a similar estate last year in Qinzhou, a port city in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

February 6, 2013
China, Malaysia launch joint industrial park

Second such venture reflects close ties between the two countries.

China and Malaysia launched a second joint industrial park on Tuesday, elevating economic ties to a new high.

Jia Qinglin, chairman of China's top advisory body, together with Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak, attended the ground-breaking ceremony.

Najib proposed the establishment of the park after the two countries decided to develop a similar estate last year in Qinzhou, a port city in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

February 1, 2013
Not cheap but still affordable

Wages are rising but differences between Asia’s economies leave manufacturers with options.

For more than two decades, cheap labor costs combined with steady improvements in infrastructure and increasingly stable policy environments to make Asia the factory of the world.

But Asia is no longer as cheap as it once was, although as a whole it still has a mix of low-cost labor, infrastructure and stability to make it the most cost-effective manufacturing center.

There are, however, enormous differences between the countries in the region that have led to a shift in where manufacturers choose to go within Asia.

January 25, 2013
Rays of hope

As anti-dumping charges cloud trade in West, Chinese solar firms find silver lining in Asia.

When Southeast Asia’s largest photovoltaic (PV) power plant achieved grid connection in September, the project boasted solar panels made by Suntech Power, the world’s largest solar panel manufacturer and the industry leader in China. The company also equipped the largest solar project in the Philippines — a mega rooftop solar station for the Asian Development Bank’s headquarters in Manila.

Stung by anti-dumping charges in Europe and the US, their biggest markets, Chinese PV power companies have started shifting their focus to Southeast Asia.

January 18, 2013
China, ASEAN relations reach great heights

Mutual trade and investment is bolstered by several factors that include tourism, openness of the Chinese economy and a level of comfort for investors.

Economic and trade ties are increasingly linking the futures of China and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

January 16, 2013
Greater heights for China-ASEAN ties

ASEAN is emerging as China's top trade partner, creating a flourishing trade and economic zone marked by diversity and underpinned by economic opportunity.

ASEAN is emerging as China's top trade partner, creating a flourishing trade and economic zone marked by diversity and underpinned by economic opportunity.

While challenges remain, particularly in building political ties as strong as the economic ties that already bind China and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the economic activity to, from and within the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) is one of the more visible drivers of global economic growth.

January 16, 2013
Malaysia can attract more Chinese capital

Malaysia can attract more capital from China by allowing Chinese companies to tap the country's rich natural resources and utilizing the Malaysian business platform to gain exposure in international business cultures and practices, Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew told China Daily.

Malaysia can attract more capital from China by allowing Chinese companies to tap the country's rich natural resources and utilizing the Malaysian business platform to gain exposure in international business cultures and practices, Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew told China Daily.

January 16, 2013
Malaysia can attract more Chinese capital

Malaysia can attract more capital from China by allowing Chinese companies to tap the country's rich natural resources and utilizing the Malaysian business platform to gain exposure in international business cultures and practices, Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew told China Daily.

Malaysia can attract more capital from China by allowing Chinese companies to tap the country's rich natural resources and utilizing the Malaysian business platform to gain exposure in international business cultures and practices, Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew told China Daily.

January 11, 2013
Pool of talent not to be ignored

With female presence lacking in Asian boardrooms, companies need to step in the right direction.

The progress in women’s issues in the past few decades notwithstanding, Asian women are still not well represented in the corporate world.

The Singapore Board Diversity Report 2012: The Female Factor says Asia still lags behind Europe and America in boardroom gender diversity. In Europe, while Norway has the best score with women making up about 40 percent on boards, the global average for women is 11.1 percent.

Even Singapore falls short with only 7.3 percent women board members in 2011 despite a small increase from the 2010 figure of 6.9 percent.

January 11, 2013
Troubled gender relations in S Asia

women form over half the population and yet struggle to survive at grassroots, let alone reach the top.

Violence against women has been the subject of front-page news across South Asia for weeks now following the horrific case of gang rape in New Delhi in mid-December. The following reports from Nepal, Bangladesh and India give vignettes of the situation across a vast swathe of the subcontinent.

KATHMANDU, NEPAL

January 8, 2013
ASEAN markets breaking down barriers for cross-border investors

Although the ASEAN region still goes somewhat unnoticed outside of Asia, a lot is brewing for investors in the region - comprising 10 nations, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Although the ASEAN region still goes somewhat unnoticed outside of Asia, a lot is brewing for investors in the region - comprising 10 nations, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. As part of their capital market integration efforts, Southeast Asia stock markets have taken a big leap forward as investors in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand can now trade easily among the three markets.

January 4, 2013
Still a safe bet

Property remains a good investment but Asian buyers eye distressed assets in West.

Investors remain optimistic that real estate in Asia will be a good hedge against inflation while keeping an eye on frontier markets.

In times of uncertainty in the global economy — the eurozone crisis, slowdown in China and a wobbly US recovery — property is a safe bet. Asia seems no exception to this age-old rule.

December 24, 2012
Malaysian long-stay visa lures foreigners

Like many Japanese mothers, Ritsuko Kawasaki fretted over the health and safety risks of remaining in Japan after 2011's earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters.

Like many Japanese mothers, Ritsuko Kawasaki fretted over the health and safety risks of remaining in Japan after 2011's earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters.

So in August she and her two boys moved to the Malaysian island of Penang under a government long-stay program that aims to lure foreigners - and their money - to the country.

"I don't think I want to return to Japan. Life here in Penang is so comfortable," said Kawasaki, 43.

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