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Tengku Zafrul Aziz

The latest news and top stories on Tengku Zafrul Aziz, Malaysian Trade Minister. Known for his background in finance and banking, he previously served as Minister of Finance, where he spearheaded economic stimulus packages and the National Recovery Plan during the pandemic, contributing to significant GDP growth. As Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, he focuses on attracting investments, boosting trade and promoting environmental social and governance initiatives. He was formerly Group CEO of CIMB Group and held senior positions in various financial institutions, demonstrating expertise in investment banking, sustainable finance and policy execution.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau (third from right), Director of Information Services John Tse (second from right) and SCMP publisher Tammy Tam (right) join Malaysian dignitaries at the MOU signing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong economy

SCMP signs 3 MOUs in Malaysia to deepen Hong Kong-Asean regional cooperation

South China Morning Post among delegation signing agreements in Kuala Lumpur to unite policy research, journalism and business networks across Asia.

11 Aug 2026 - 9:43PM

Malaysia

Happy buyers, sad sellers: Malaysia’s trade dilemma as cheap goods pour in

30 Jul 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

Malaysia

‘Take sides’? Malaysia insists on conditional neutrality in US-China tech ties

29 Jul 2026 - 4:47PMvideocam

Indonesia

Bali’s ‘big leap’: from holiday paradise to international financial centre

Indonesian and Hong Kong officials, as well as investors across the region, converge at the Nusa Dua Forum to discuss the island’s potential.

19 Jul 2026 - 5:26PM

(From left) Zuraidah Ibrahim, executive editor, South China Morning Post; Tengku Zafrul Aziz, chairman, Malaysia Investment Development Authority; Pandu Sjahrir, chief investment oﬃcer, Danantara Indonesia; Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, minister of tourism, Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia; Rosan Perkasa Roeslani, CEO, Danantara Indonesia; Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, chairman, National Economic Council, Indonesia; Tammy Tam, publisher, South China Morning Post; Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan, deputy secretary for justice, Department of Justice, government of Hong Kong; and Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, member of Executive Council, government of Hong Kong, pose for a group photo at the Nusa Dua Forum in Bali on Friday. Photo: Nora Tam

China Conference: Southeast Asia

Asean urged to rewrite trade rule book as US turns transactional

The US and China are the top two trading partners for Asean but it is questionable how long that status quo will last, observers say.

11 Feb 2026 - 8:40AM

Malaysia

Malaysia’s Anwar reshuffles cabinet to focus on ‘stronger growth’

The changes come after months of pressure on his government, sparked by several key resignations and rising inflation.

16 Dec 2025 - 7:39PM

Malaysia

‘Unconstitutional’: Mahathir reports PM Anwar to police over Trump trade deal

Ex-PM claims the deal lacks constitutional approval and undermines bumiputra privileges, which benefit ethnic Malays and indigenous groups.

2 Dec 2025 - 7:11PM

Malaysia

Tengku Zafrul on US trade deal, Umno and looking like a Singapore minister

As he vacates his post, the minister dubbed ‘hot property’ opens up about negotiating with the US and China, and why he swapped Umno for PKR.

1 Dec 2025 - 11:17AM

China trade

Tripwire clauses: why is China alarmed by Malaysia’s new trade deal with the US?

Controversial wording seen as a geopolitical trap designed to force neutral countries to uphold Western containment strategies.

28 Nov 2025 - 9:44PMvideocam

Family offices

Hong Kong leader John Lee to speak at family business summit

Third annual event curated by the Post and Blue Pool Capital, presented by UBS, features speakers from governments to Wall Street to the NBA.

7 Nov 2025 - 7:54AM

(Left to right): SCMP’s Executive Managing Editor Zuraidah Ibrahim, Editor-in-Chief Tammy Tam, Singapore’s former foreign minister George Yeo, Alibaba Group Holding’s chairman Joe Tsai, SCMP’s CEO Catherine So, at the 2025 Family Business Summit in Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP

US-Asean relations

America’s ‘concerning’ lust for rare earths rocks Southeast Asia

Hastily signed rare earths pacts with Thailand and Malaysia have raised alarm about the environmental and economic fallout.

3 Nov 2025 - 7:09AM

Thai demonstrators step on a mock memorandum of understanding during a protest outside the US embassy in Bangkok on Thursday against a Thai-US agreement on rare earth cooperation. Photo: EPA

Malaysia

Malaysia no ‘puppet’ of America, Anwar says, as critics slam trade deal

The prime minister denies Malaysia will be forced to follow Washington’s lead on sanctions against third countries under the new deal.

30 Oct 2025 - 5:00PM

Malaysia

Malaysia’s ‘2 kitchens’: an appetising solution to the US-China trade war?

Malaysia’s trade minister says companies will inevitably need to build two supply chains to cater to both US and Chinese demands.

5 Oct 2025 - 10:09AM

Asean

‘Master of its own house’: Malaysia’s trade chief defends slow-moving Asean

‘Where others retreat, Asean responds, and when others collide, Asean connects’, Tengku Zafrul Aziz tells a summit in Singapore.

2 Oct 2025 - 4:03PMvideocam

Malaysian trade minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz speaks at the Milken Institute Asia Summit in Singapore on October 2, 2025. Photo: Jean Iau

Asean

US to Southeast Asian chipmakers: move production to America or face tariffs

Trump trade envoy Jamieson Greer stressed the importance of bringing chip supply chains ‘back to the US’ for national security reasons.

25 Sep 2025 - 9:48PMvideocam

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer attends the Asean Economic Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Malaysia

Durian diplomacy: Malaysia’s Anwar offers Asean guests ‘king of fruits’ at gala

The Malaysian prime minister encouraged Asean’s economic ministers to try the divisive delicacy, likening its strong taste to blue cheese.

25 Sep 2025 - 4:18PM

Asean

US urges Asean to commit to ‘fair and balanced trade’ amid tariff concerns

Growth in Asean economies is expected to slow to 4.5 per cent on average in 2025 due to the impact of US tariffs, according to S&P.

24 Sep 2025 - 7:30PM

China trade

Malaysia flexes rare earth muscle as mineral-hungry US seeks non-Chinese sources

Kuala Lumpur’s new ban on exports of unprocessed rare earth metals reflects how Malaysia is carving out its own path in the rare earth supply chain.

23 Aug 2025 - 10:00AM

The Lynas rare earth processing plant in Pahang, Malaysia, processes 12 to 15 per cent of the world’s rare earth elements, but China still dominates the process of separating and purifying rare earth ores that are mined. Photo: Handout

China technology

Opinion | China is the US’ target, but Trump’s chip policies miss the mark

Improvisation masquerading as strategy does nothing to strengthen the US and only makes trade negotiations more difficult.

17 Jul 2025 - 8:39AMvideocam

Malaysia

AI chip smuggling in Malaysia? No sign of it, minister says

Malaysia is under pressure to staunch the flow of high-performance chips to China to avoid Trump’s tariff threats.

15 Jul 2025 - 1:28PMvideocam

Malaysia

Malaysia’s Anwar to confront Rubio over US tariffs amid fears about 25% levy

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is attending an Asean summit – his first official visit to the region since Donald Trump’s return.

9 Jul 2025 - 5:56PMvideocam

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) looks on as President Donald Trump speaks at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

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Tengku Zafrul Aziz

SCMP signs 3 MOUs in Malaysia to deepen Hong Kong-Asean regional cooperation

South China Morning Post among delegation signing agreements in Kuala Lumpur to unite policy research, journalism and business networks across Asia.

Happy buyers, sad sellers: Malaysia’s trade dilemma as cheap goods pour in

‘Take sides’? Malaysia insists on conditional neutrality in US-China tech ties

Bali’s ‘big leap’: from holiday paradise to international financial centre

Indonesian and Hong Kong officials, as well as investors across the region, converge at the Nusa Dua Forum to discuss the island’s potential.

Asean urged to rewrite trade rule book as US turns transactional

The US and China are the top two trading partners for Asean but it is questionable how long that status quo will last, observers say.

Malaysia’s Anwar reshuffles cabinet to focus on ‘stronger growth’

The changes come after months of pressure on his government, sparked by several key resignations and rising inflation.

‘Unconstitutional’: Mahathir reports PM Anwar to police over Trump trade deal

Ex-PM claims the deal lacks constitutional approval and undermines bumiputra privileges, which benefit ethnic Malays and indigenous groups.

Tengku Zafrul on US trade deal, Umno and looking like a Singapore minister

As he vacates his post, the minister dubbed ‘hot property’ opens up about negotiating with the US and China, and why he swapped Umno for PKR.

Tripwire clauses: why is China alarmed by Malaysia’s new trade deal with the US?

Controversial wording seen as a geopolitical trap designed to force neutral countries to uphold Western containment strategies.

Hong Kong leader John Lee to speak at family business summit

Third annual event curated by the Post and Blue Pool Capital, presented by UBS, features speakers from governments to Wall Street to the NBA.

America’s ‘concerning’ lust for rare earths rocks Southeast Asia

Hastily signed rare earths pacts with Thailand and Malaysia have raised alarm about the environmental and economic fallout.

Malaysia no ‘puppet’ of America, Anwar says, as critics slam trade deal

The prime minister denies Malaysia will be forced to follow Washington’s lead on sanctions against third countries under the new deal.

Malaysia’s ‘2 kitchens’: an appetising solution to the US-China trade war?

Malaysia’s trade minister says companies will inevitably need to build two supply chains to cater to both US and Chinese demands.

‘Master of its own house’: Malaysia’s trade chief defends slow-moving Asean

‘Where others retreat, Asean responds, and when others collide, Asean connects’, Tengku Zafrul Aziz tells a summit in Singapore.

US to Southeast Asian chipmakers: move production to America or face tariffs

Trump trade envoy Jamieson Greer stressed the importance of bringing chip supply chains ‘back to the US’ for national security reasons.

Durian diplomacy: Malaysia’s Anwar offers Asean guests ‘king of fruits’ at gala

The Malaysian prime minister encouraged Asean’s economic ministers to try the divisive delicacy, likening its strong taste to blue cheese.

US urges Asean to commit to ‘fair and balanced trade’ amid tariff concerns

Growth in Asean economies is expected to slow to 4.5 per cent on average in 2025 due to the impact of US tariffs, according to S&P.

Malaysia flexes rare earth muscle as mineral-hungry US seeks non-Chinese sources

Kuala Lumpur’s new ban on exports of unprocessed rare earth metals reflects how Malaysia is carving out its own path in the rare earth supply chain.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | China is the US’ target, but Trump’s chip policies miss the mark

Improvisation masquerading as strategy does nothing to strengthen the US and only makes trade negotiations more difficult.

AI chip smuggling in Malaysia? No sign of it, minister says

Malaysia is under pressure to staunch the flow of high-performance chips to China to avoid Trump’s tariff threats.

Malaysia’s Anwar to confront Rubio over US tariffs amid fears about 25% levy

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is attending an Asean summit – his first official visit to the region since Donald Trump’s return.

Opinion | China is the US’ target, but Trump’s chip policies miss the mark