Tan Ai Leng

Tan Ai Leng

MALAYSIA CORRESPONDENT

Tan Ai Leng is Malaysia correspondent at The Business Times, where her reporting encompasses a diverse array of subjects within the country. Her prior experience includes a role at The Edge Malaysia.

Ann Joo Steel sells its 135-acre Penang industrial land to Axis-Reit for RM800 million, and will lease the facility at RM4.16 million monthly.

Malaysia’s Axis Reit buys Penang site for RM800 million, largest industrial property deal in 2025

This deal alone nearly matches the total value of industrial property transactions in Penang in the first half of 2025

Since its public opening in October 2022, Battersea Power Station has welcomed over 22 million visitors (as of end-2024).

Battersea Power Station: What to know about Malaysia’s landmark UK investment

Once an empty industrial shell, the 90-year-old abandoned coal plant was revived under one of Malaysia’s biggest-ever overseas projects

U.S. President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hold up trade deal documents during a bilateral meeting during the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 26, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Malaysia’s US trade deal: what it means for SMEs, exporters and manufacturers

Pact offers improved access for Malaysian exporters and makes US products more affordable for businesses, consumers

Laurence Si, managing director of Microsoft Malaysia, said the two data centre cloud regions in Malaysia will strengthen the country's  position as a strategic hub for advanced computing and AI infrastructure in South-east Asia.

Microsoft launches second cloud region in Johor Bahru, boosting Malaysia data-centre development

This cloud region aims to support regional-scale workloads, multinational users and data-intensive AI systems

An artist's impression of the Johor Bahru City Square upon the completion of the redevelopment by Q4 2027.

Kuok Group’s Allgreen Properties revamps Johor Bahru City Square to tap RTS link

Group bought back majority stake it sold to GIC 20 years ago; multi-phase redevelopment to be completed by end 2027

John Low, co-managing partner for South-east Asia at Roland Berger, said South-east Asia must use its resources, not rivalry, to climb the global value chain.

South-east Asia evolving into multi-hub industrial network: Roland Berger

Its vast reserves of critical minerals, and booming consumer market, could be the region’s strongest bargaining chip in a world hungry for both...

The US President Donald Trump (fifth from left) first visit to South-east Asia since imposing a series of aggressive trade tariffs shortly after taking office in January.
NEWS ANALYSIS

Malaysia leads Asean to peace, trade and unity with Trump in the room

Despite the progress, the bloc remains fragmented, Washington’s protectionist stance continues to loom, and much work still lies ahead

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul (second from left) and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet (third from left) signed the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord, witnessed by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and US President Donald Trump (right).

Trump hails Thai-Cambodia peace deal, says he has ended ‘8 wars’

In a separate joint statement, Malaysia pledges to keep rare earth exports ‘free-flow’ to US

Timor-Leste is now officially the 11th member country of Asean bloc, following the  the declaration on the admission. Timor-Leste PM Xanana Gusmao (fifth from left) was congratulated by other leaders during the summit.

Asean Summit: Timor-Leste’s entry completes Asean family, says Anwar

Trump attends summit in KL in his first visit to the region since he began his second term

The 47th Asean  Summit is expected to draw over 12,000 delegates, making it one of the largest in Asean’s history and a crucial test of the bloc’s ability to turn consensus into action.

Asean Summit: Trump’s KL visit puts South-east Asia’s neutrality to the test

His visit comes as regional leaders gather under the theme ‘Inclusion and Sustainability’