Morning Brief

The 46th ASEAN Summit is set to kick off in Kuala Lumpur from May 23 to 28, with Malaysia as chair. The regional gathering comes at a time of shifting geopolitical dynamics and an uncertain economic outlook. We speak to Dr. Khoo Ying Hooi from Universiti Malaya about expectations for the summit Malaysia's chairmanship of ASEAN.

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This week, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te marked his first year in office amid increased political polarisation and heightened tensions with Beijing. How is Lai addressing the internal and external pressures? Brian Hioe of New Bloom Magazine weighs in on the president's performance. 

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Minister Azalina Othman has renewed calls to raise the retirement age to 65, citing seniors’ desire to keep working. As Malaysia’s population ages and its workforce tightens, can reform balance worker choice, fiscal pressure, and youth opportunity? Joining us is Chai Sen Tyng, Senior Research Officer at the Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing (myAgeing), Universiti Putra Malaysia.

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Trade ties between the UK and Europe have been at best, strained, since Brexit happened and Prime Minister Keir Starmer has just inked a landmark deal with the EU aimed at restoring stability in trade, energy, and cross-border travel. Dr Benjamin Barton, Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham Malaysia, discusses what this means in today's geopolitical climate.

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P. Gunasegaram, Independent Business Writer, offers his analysis of Auditor-General Datuk Seri Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi’s renewed efforts to recover misappropriated public funds and institutionalise accountability. Close to 1,900 government-linked entities are now under audit, with a dedicated task force targeting systemic financial misconduct.

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Despite the uncertainty created by tariff tensions, Chinese e-commerce players are proving resilient in first quarter earnings performance. That said, does the slowing retail sales growth of 5.1% point to tougher times ahead? We get updates on the outlook for Chinese online consumption with Catherine Lim of Bloomberg Intelligence. 

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In the first quarter of 2025, Malaysia’s labour market expanded to 9.1 million jobs. Yet, a 2.1% vacancy rate persists, prompting questions about whether our youth are adequately prepared for today’s workforce demands. Helping us unpack this is Shazrul Ariff Suhaimi, Research Associate at Khazanah Research Institute.

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Zeckqualine Melai, a teacher and researcher at Unimas Sarawak’s Faculty of Education, Language & Communication, shares her take on Sarawak’s move to pioneer free tertiary education for eligible residents from 2026. We unpack its potential impact, and whether access will truly be equitable as the initiative applies only to selected courses at state-run institutions.

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Last night, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a two-hour phone conversation on a possible truce between Russia and Ukraine, but no concrete commitments were made. This comes after Ukrainian and Russian officials met face-to-face in Istanbul for truce talks, which resulted in an agreement to return prisoners of war to each other. Dr Sonia Mycak, Research Fellow, ANU Centre for European Studies joins us in discussing whether peace is in sight after more than 3 years of bloodshed.

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Malaysia’s entry ban last year left over 17,000 Bangladeshi workers in limbo, but a recent agreement has cleared the way for nearly 8,000 to enter. Will this mark a turning point in how migrant workers are treated? We speak with Alex Ong, Country Representative of Migrant CARE, on the reforms still needed and the road ahead.

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