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South China Morning Post
29 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Malaysia's Anwar dares rivals to hold no-confidence vote: ‘be my guest'
Faced with street protests calling for him to resign amid a rising tide of public discontent, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has challenged the opposition camp to present a no-confidence vote against him. Advertisement More than 20,000 protesters marched through Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, demanding Anwar's resignation in an opposition-led rally, the first he has faced since becoming prime minister. Protesters march in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday during a rally calling for Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to resign. Photo: Retuers The opposition has accused him of failing to deliver on election promises and mismanaging the economy. On Sunday, Anwar directly addressed opposition leader Hamzah Zainuddin's hints that a no-confidence motion was looming, saying he welcomed the opportunity to prove his parliamentary support. 'Be my guest, we welcome it,' Anwar said to reporters. 'This is the right process. If he wants to table it, then table it. He has been saying he wants to do it for three years now.' A protester holds a sign calling for Anwar to resign during a rally in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. Photo: EPA The opposition bloc, comprising Islamist party PAS and Malay nationalist party Bersatu, has consistently questioned Anwar's control of Malaysia's 222-seat parliament since his appointment as prime minister in November 2022 . Hamzah has repeatedly suggested he will initiate a no-confidence motion 'any time; tomorrow, next week or next election'.
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
GSK signs US$12.5 billion licence deal with Hengrui as China rises in global pharmaceuticals
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will pay a Chinese company US$12.5 billion for exclusive global rights to develop a dozen drugs, in a landmark deal that underscores how China's research labs are snapping up market share in the global pharmaceutical and biomedical industries. Advertisement The deal would give GSK the rights to develop a drug for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) called HRD-9821, as well as 11 of the preclinical programmes owned by Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals. The global rights exclude mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, according to a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Monday. The deal is the latest in a string of transactions between multinational firms and Chinese drug developers, which have bolstered China's share of global licensing deal value to 28 per cent in 2024 from 1 per cent in 2019. Pfizer agreed in May to pay US$1.25 billion to Shenyang-based 3SBio for the exclusive right to develop the Chinese company's drug for treating solid tumours. China's pharmaceutical out-licensing value soared to almost US$66 billion in the first six months of 2025, more than the whole of last year, according to a July 14 report from China Post Securities. For multinational companies, the deals gave them exclusive products to expand their product portfolio and pipelines, while the Chinese developers saw them as opportunities to cash in on prior work and fund new projects. The corporate flag of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) next to a Chinese national flag outside a GlaxoSmithKline office building in Shanghai on July 12, 2013. Photo: Reuters Hengrui, established in the Jiangsu provincial city of Lianyungang in 1997, would receive a US$500 million upfront payment and charge US$12 billion to GSK upon the achievement of development, regulatory approval and sales milestones. Advertisement 'The signing of the agreement will help expand the international market for HRS-9821 and multiple innovative medicines in various therapeutic areas, including oncology, respiratory, immunology and inflammation, providing high-quality treatment options for patients worldwide,' Hengrui said in a statement.
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Japan pitches Tokyo as new UN hub while US steps back from world stage
As the United States increasingly retreats from global leadership, Japan is positioning itself to fill the void with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike's proposal that the United Nations shift some of its operations to the Japanese capital. Advertisement Koike returned to Japan on Sunday following an official visit to the US, where she addressed the Johns Hopkins School of International Studies in Washington and highlighted Tokyo's emergence as a major player on the world stage. During her visit, she also met with policy experts at the Hudson Institute think tank, where Tokyo's drive to become a sustainable metropolis was high on the agenda. On Thursday, Koike held a 15-minute meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the organisation's headquarters in New York. There, she proposed that more of the UN's offices be relocated to cities elsewhere in the world, including Tokyo. 'Tokyo would like to provide various types of support [to the UN],' Koike told reporters after the meeting, highlighting the city's advantages over other locations, such as 'public safety, security and now, with the weak yen, there are other positive aspects to life'. Advertisement Guterres acknowledged that his office had 'received offers of cooperation from various countries and regions', but declined to elaborate on the Japanese proposal or whether it might be pursued further.
