Report: Tariff talks progressing, M'sia reluctant on some areas
According to a Bloomberg report today, the Malaysian government is hesitant to meet the US government's demand for an extension of tax breaks on American electric vehicles (EV), a reduction of foreign shareholding limits in the power and financial sectors, and a cut in subsidies for local fisherfolk, who are a major vote bank as they are predominantly Malays.
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The Star
5 minutes ago
- The Star
Indonesian solar panel manufacturers brush off potential US tariffs
JAKARTA: Solar panel manufacturers in Indonesia are not overly concerned that their United States counterparts have filed trade petitions with Washington that might result in new tariffs, provided that Jakarta pushes for greater domestic adoption of solar photovoltaic systems. Beny Sulaiman, business development and commercial director at PT Jembo Energindo, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday (July 30) that 'the concerns in Indonesia are relatively small' since the domestic market could absorb locally made solar panels, as long as the government supported this. 'Indonesia is a big country with abundant market potential for renewables. On top of that, the government has been very supportive in significantly increasing [the share of] renewables in the [national] energy mix,' said Beny, who is also an executive at the Indonesian Solar Module Manufacturers Association. The trade petitions, which seek to impose antidumping and countervailing duties, were filed earlier this month by the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee, according to a Bloomberg article. The group includes major US-based manufacturers like First Solar, Mission Solar Energy and Qcells. The plaintiffs allege that Chinese solar panel producers are flooding the US market with unfairly cheap goods made in factories in Indonesia, Laos and India. The petitions' filing has kicked off a process in which the Commerce Department has 20 days to decide whether to investigate the allegation that imports are unfairly priced or subsidised by a foreign government. Separately, the US International Trade Commission is to determine whether the imported solar panels harm domestic competition. If the commerce and trade authorities conclude that the imports are unfair and injurious. Washington might impose new duties on foreign-made solar panels. This process played out previously in April, when the US government imposed import duties of 3,521 per cent on certain solar power equipment from Cambodia, a year after the same industry alliance petitioned for protection of its members' operations. Three other South-East Asian countries, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, were also imposed US duties of varying rates, depending on the manufacturer and the products' origin. China-based Trina Solar was subject to a 375 per cent tariff for its products manufactured in Thailand, while China's Jinko Solar was slapped with a 41 per cent tariff on its Malaysian-made products. The US imported solar equipment from the four countries totaling almost US$12 billion, the BBC reported in April, citing US Census Bureau figures. The antidumping and countervailing duties have caused a massive shift in the US solar industry supply chain, prompting an immediate decline in shipments from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in May, with Indonesia and Laos picking up the slack. Indonesia and Laos saw its solar panel exports to the US balloon to 44 per cent in May from a figure of just 1.9 per cent n May 2024, Bloomberg reported. Meanwhile, India's solar panel exports to the US have been on the rise since 2022. Many Chinese firms have moved their operations to South-East Asia in recent years in a bid to avoid US tariffs since President Donald Trump's first term in 2017-2021. Anindya Bakrie, chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), and Shinta Kamdani, chairwoman of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo), both said they had not yet caught up with the matter when the Post contacted them for comments on Tuesday. Fabby Tumiwa, executive director of the Institute for Essential Services Reform, told the Post on Wednesday that US solar manufacturers had filed the trade petitions because they were unable to compete with imported solar products. 'The production cost of solar modules in the US is higher than in other countries. Compared to Southeast Asia, China or India, they're far more expensive,' he said. According to Fabby, Chinese solar technologies from were 60 per cent cheaper than those produced in the US. Likewise, Indian and South-East Asian solar panels cost only 20-30 per cent more than those made in China. Fabby suggested that US solar manufacturers were 'under heavy pressure', given that they had only recently commenced production and had therefore 'not reached the economies of scale'. Meanwhile they faced short deadlines, according to Fabby, who said manufacturers had to break even in three years as the industry was advancing rapidly, with new and more efficient solar technologies pushing out previous generations in a cycle of three to five years. 'If they cannot break even in three years, they'll certainly be left behind, because the Chinese move very fast,' he said. 'That's why it's in [US manufacturers'] best interest to shave imports, so they can utilise domestic capacity.' The condition of US solar manufacturers has been exacerbated by the 50 per cent import tariffs the Trump administration has imposed on aluminum and steel, two important precursors for solar technology, driving production costs even higher. While the pressure on the US solar industry was understandable, 'it's unfair to blame other countries [where] production costs are lower', said Fabby, adding that Indonesia's solar panel manufacturers had achieved competitiveness fair and square, without any government subsidies. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
New Straits Times
5 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Amirudin: 10,000 local engineers to be trained under arm's 10-year semiconductor programme
SUBANG JAYA: A total of 10,000 local engineers are expected to be trained in the semiconductor field through a training programme by the United Kingdom's semiconductor design firm, Arm, over 10 years, said Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari. The programme, known as Arm On-Demand, is the first Arm-led training programme in the country and is a strategic collaboration with the Advanced Semiconductor Academy of Malaysia (ASEM), a statement from ASEM said. It is aligned with the country's efforts to accelerate its ambition to develop homegrown chips within five to 10 years due to growing global demand for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data centre technologies, the statement said. Amirudin said the initiative targets around 1,000 participants annually, with the first batch of 400 engineers already enrolled. "So, if we run two or three cohorts, we can reach that target each year," he told reporters at the programme's launch today. The event's highlight was a partnership signing ceremony between Arm, ASEM and 20 Malaysian universities, a symbolic and unified commitment to advance semiconductor education and research. The programme brings together participants from over 40 universities and engineers representing more than 80 companies across the semiconductor and technology sectors, reflecting strong national interest and commitment to talent development in advanced chip design. Amirudin said the training, which focuses on front-end Integrated Circuit (IC) design, began earlier this year with the IC Design Part 1 course in Puchong, and positions Malaysia as a leading and sustainable front-end player in the semiconductor industry. As of now, Amirudin said the Selangor state government has committed between RM5 million and RM10 million annually to propel the front end of the semiconductor value chain. He also said the federal government, through the Economy Ministry, has increased its support to RM100 million from RM60 million. This underscores national-level confidence in the initiative, with total investments expected to exceed RM100 million over the next decade. Amirudin also said he believes the Arm On-Demand Programme will move Selangor and Malaysia from completely relying on foreign direct investment towards building leaders and startups that will one day transform into leading companies that invest and export overseas. "We must envision a technological ecosystem where we do not solely export, but a space and place where Malaysian companies can similarly move up the economic value chain to utilise and be consumers of these chips. "We must move towards owning the intellectual property so that these chips are not just labelled 'Assembled in Selangor', but 'Designed in Selangor', 'Made in Malaysia'," Amirudin said. Amirudin said these ambitions will be detailed in Selangor Plan 2, which is set to be launched next year. He expressed confidence that semiconductor and electrical and electronics engineering will be prioritised under the upcoming 13th Malaysia Plan, to be announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on July 31.
Daily Express
5 minutes ago
- Daily Express
Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Manet heads to Malaysia for Thailand ceasefire talks
Published on: Monday, July 28, 2025 Published on: Mon, Jul 28, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (right) shares a brief exchange with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet before the Royal Luncheon at Istana Negara, held in conjunction with the 46th ASEAN Summit and related meetings. - BERNAMA PUTRAJAYA: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet will arrive in Malaysia on Monday for crucial ceasefire negotiations with Thailand, facilitated by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The talks aim to de-escalate recent border clashes between the two Southeast Asian nations. Hun Manet confirmed his participation in a Facebook post late Sunday. 'I will lead a Cambodian delegation to attend a special meeting in Kuala Lumpur hosted by Malaysia. I'd like to thank Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for his initiative and coordination to organise and host this special meeting,' he said. The meeting, scheduled for 3 pm in Putrajaya, will see Hun Manet engage with Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai. Anwar, who also chairs ASEAN, proposed the mediation after renewed hostilities along the disputed 817-km border. Tensions flared following a May 28 skirmish near Preah Vihear, escalating into armed confrontations last week. The conflict has displaced over 80,000 civilians, with Cambodia's Ministry of National Defence reporting five soldiers and eight civilians killed. International pressure, including from the UN and US, pushed both sides toward dialogue. US President Donald Trump confirmed on Saturday that both governments agreed to discuss a President Donald Trump confirmed on Saturday that both governments agreed to discuss a ceasefire. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
