This Month
In a Malaysian pop-up city, echoes of China’s housing crash
For years, Chinese developer Country Garden gorged on cheap money to sustain a build-and-they-will-come strategy. When it tried to take that model overseas, it ran into trouble.
- Alexandra Stevenson
October
Property downturn nips into Walker Group profit
The empire founded by the late Lang Walker is powering on, with a $36 billion development pipeline and landmark projects stretching from Sydney to Malaysia.
- Nick Lenaghan
Malaysia PM says he welcomes Najib’s 1MDB apology
Anwar Ibrahim said while his stance on 1MDB was well known, it was not fair to single out one person for the goings-on in the sovereign wealth fund.
- Anisah Shukry
Albanese to press China on trade
The Association of South-East Asian Nations leaders’ summit will take place in Vientiane, Laos this week, the latest international push by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
- Tom McIlroy
September
City with too many skyscrapers now home to world’s second tallest
There are growing questions about the proliferation of skyscrapers in the Malaysian capital.
- Anders Melin and Joy Lee
AirTrunk’s $23.5b AI pay day
Blackstone emerged as the winning bidder in the year’s biggest merger and acquisition deal, netting its founder Robin Khuda a $1 billion-plus payday.
- Paul Smith and Anthony Macdonald
How China’s coast guard is ‘trying to occupy the ocean’
In most countries, coast guards are there to do just that: guard domestic coasts and territorial waters. China’s, however, is more like a second navy.
- Kathrin Hille
Australia, US condemn China over ‘dangerous’ new South China Sea collision
The collision of the Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels was the fifth in a month, as tensions escalate between the two nations in the vital waterway.
- Neil Jerome Morales and Joe Cash
August
‘Obscenely greedy’ oil execs jailed over vast 1MDB fraud
A Swiss court found the former PetroSaudi executives responsible for embezzling $2.6 billion in what the court heard was the “fraud of the century”.
- Jamey Keaten
The power player who sparked a Melbourne Club feud
Those who regularly traverse the tricky world of club politics speak of it as a blood sport.
- Myriam Robin
Philippines, China trade blame after vessels collide
China’s Coast Guard said a Philippine vessel that had ignored its repeated warnings “deliberately collided” with a Chinese vessel. Manila saw it differently.
- Liz Lee and Karen Lema
Star’s Steve McCann and the Malay tycoon
Sources say McCann has been doing a range of work for the low-profile Malaysian businessman since leaving Crown Resorts.
- Updated
- Myriam Robin
Widespread boycotts in Muslim countries hammer Western brands
Consumers are shunning goods produced by companies such as Coca-Cola, KFC, Starbucks and Mondelez in protest against their perceived support for Israel in the war in Gaza.
- FT Reporters
July
China and the Philippines sign deal to avert clashes at sea
The rare deal with the Philippines sparks hope that similar arrangements could be forged by Beijing with other countries to avoid clashes while thorny territorial issues remain unresolved.
- Jim Gomez
June
China’s ‘Summer Davos’ highlights corporate anxiety over tariffs
A surge of cheap exports and industrial production supported by the government has propelled China’s economy this year. That’s prompted a pushback from trading partners.
- Katia Dmitrieva and Lucille Liu
- Analysis
- Shipping
Clogged global ports re-ignite inflation fears
Ship timetables are being disrupted with missed sailing schedules and fewer port calls as vessels take longer routes around Africa to avoid the Red Sea.
- Lisa Barrington and Jeslyn Lerh
Marcos vows to ‘stand firm’ after clash with China
The president told his military chief, top generals and troops involved in the South China Sea confrontation that the Philippines has never “yielded to any foreign power”.
- Jim Gomez
Premier Li Qiang’s visit has Malaysia wanting more from China pivot
The absence of President Xi Jinping, who sent his number two in his place, has dejected some in the government, according to Malaysian officials and observers.
- Kathrin Hille and Mercedes Ruehl
Chinese vessel and Philippine supply ship collide
Beijing said a Philippine supply ship entered waters near the Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands that’s part of territory claimed by several nations.
- Simina Mistreanu and Jim Gomez
May
Google to invest $3b in Malaysian data centre and cloud hub
The news follows Microsoft’s announcement that it would put $US2.2 billion into Malaysia’s new cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
- Ram Anand