Latest news with #TeoNieChing


South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
As Malaysia's Huawei chip storm shows, sovereign AI is a fraught pursuit
When Malaysia's deputy minister of communications, Teo Nie Ching, announced the launch of the country's 'sovereign AI infrastructure' powered by Huawei Technologies' advanced computing chips and the DeepSeek large language model, she inadvertently set off a geopolitical maelstrom Advertisement In the crosshairs of Teo's announcement was the activation of Huawei's Ascend chips on a national scale and the planned roll-out of 3,000 of those chips by next year to 'form the backbone of Malaysia's national AI grid'. Teo's office reportedly retracted her remarks just a day later. Had they been true, Malaysia's deployment of this class of Huawei's integrated circuits could have fallen foul of US export controls targeted at specific Ascend chips, issued just a week earlier. Malaysia's Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry distanced itself from Teo's announcement, clarifying that the artificial intelligence infrastructure touted was 'privately driven' and 'not developed, endorsed or coordinated' at the government level. Even Huawei, whose vice-president of Malaysia operations attended Teo's event, denied selling any Ascend chips in the country when asked by the media. The incident threw a spotlight on the increasingly difficult positions of Southeast Asian countries walking the tightrope between technological autonomy and fracturing geopolitical realities. Beijing has threatened to retaliate against Washington's latest export controls on Chinese-made chips with its anti-sanctions law, which would affect third parties enforcing US regulations. If Teo's remarks were, in fact, verifiable, they would have implied double jeopardy for a Malaysia caught between the extraterritorial reach of the United States and China's unilateral, punitive measures. Advertisement


The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Concert organisers encouraged to apply for CEMI
KULAI: The Communications Ministry encourages concert and large-scale, high-impact event organisers to register with the new Concert and Event in Malaysia Incentives (CEMI) initiative to enjoy financial rebates. Its deputy minister, Teo Nie Ching said this initiative not only applies to the organisation of international concerts and events but also involves local artists in large-scale programmes within the country. According to her, RM10 million is allocated annually and applications have been open from May 15 and ends July 10. 'This programme is managed by MyCreative Ventures (MyCV), with the support of the Communications Ministry, focusing on organising concerts and high-impact events, particularly involving capacities exceeding 15,000 spectators with the participation of local and international artists. This is a new initiative introduced by the government to further invigorate the local arts industry,' she said at a press conference after officiating the Kulai parliamentary level SPM 2024 Excellent Student Contribution Programme at the Kulai Parliamentary District Education Office (PPD) here today. She said that there are several main conditions that organisers must comply with to qualify for the incentive, including having experience in organising large-scale events, with a capacity of 15,000 people within three years from the date of application. 'For financing of international artists, organisers need a minimum of 20 per cent of the total Qualifying Malaysian Concert and Event Spend (QMCES) with at least 30 per cent involvement of Malaysians to qualify for 30 per cent of the actual QMCES expenditure or a maximum of RM1.5 million (whichever is lower). The rebate will be fully disbursed after the project is completed and the final report is approved. 'For financing of local artists, on the other hand, the rebate distribution is the same, but the organisers must spend 70 per cent of the total QMCES in Malaysia to qualify for 30 per cent of the actual QMCES expenditure or a maximum of RM1 million (whichever is lower),' she said. In other developments, Teo, who is also the Kulai Member of Parliament, said a total of 107, 687 fraudulent contents or scams were removed by platform providers at the request of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) from January to April 15. She said that among the most frequently removed content were online gambling and scams. 'As of April 15, the takedowns carried out by the platform provider at the request of MCMC amounted to 107,687, with the majority being 57,669 related to gambling and 30,427 related to scams,' she also said. Therefore, she added, the public is advised to be more cautious and not easily be deceived by content or advertisements that promise high returns in a short period to avoid becoming victims of fraud.

Barnama
4 days ago
- Business
- Barnama
Concert Organisers Encouraged To Apply For CEMI
KULAI, May 31 (Bernama) -- The Communications Ministry encourages concert and large-scale, high-impact event organisers to register with the new Concert and Event in Malaysia Incentives (CEMI) initiative to enjoy financial rebates. Its deputy minister, Teo Nie Ching said this initiative not only applies to the organisation of international concerts and events but also involves local artists in large-scale programmes within the country. According to her, RM10 million is allocated annually and applications have been open from May 15 and ends July 10. "This programme is managed by MyCreative Ventures (MyCV), with the support of the Communications Ministry, focusing on organising concerts and high-impact events, particularly involving capacities exceeding 15,000 spectators with the participation of local and international artists. This is a new initiative introduced by the government to further invigorate the local arts industry," she said at a press conference after officiating the Kulai parliamentary level SPM 2024 Excellent Student Contribution Programme at the Kulai Parliamentary District Education Office (PPD) here today. She said that there are several main conditions that organisers must comply with to qualify for the incentive, including having experience in organising large-scale events, with a capacity of 15,000 people within three years from the date of application. "For financing of international artists, organisers need a minimum of 20 per cent of the total Qualifying Malaysian Concert and Event Spend (QMCES) with at least 30 per cent involvement of Malaysians to qualify for 30 per cent of the actual QMCES expenditure or a maximum of RM1.5 million (whichever is lower). The rebate will be fully disbursed after the project is completed and the final report is approved. "For financing of local artists, on the other hand, the rebate distribution is the same, but the organisers must spend 70 per cent of the total QMCES in Malaysia to qualify for 30 per cent of the actual QMCES expenditure or a maximum of RM1 million (whichever is lower)," she said. In other developments, Teo, who is also the Kulai Member of Parliament, said a total of 107, 687 fraudulent contents or scams were removed by platform providers at the request of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) from January to April 15. She said that among the most frequently removed content were online gambling and scams.


The Star
4 days ago
- Business
- The Star
More than 100,000 social media posts removed by MCMC, majority linked to gambling, scams, says Teo
KULAI: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has taken down more than 100,000 social media posts that have been deemed harmful, says Teo Nie Ching. The Deputy Communications Minister said a total of 107,687 pieces of content have been removed by platform providers on the request of MCMC as of April 14 this year. 'From the amount, 57,669 were related to gambling while 30,427 were linked to scams. 'I take this opportunity to remind social media users not to fall for content that promotes 'too good to be true' or 'get rich quick' schemes,' she said after presenting incentives to Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia high achievers here on Saturday (May 31). Separately, Teo also urged concert organisers to apply for a new initiative by her ministry called the Concert and Event in Malaysia (CEMI), which has an annual allocation of RM10mil. She said concerts with international artists could enjoy a 30% rebate on its actual Qualifying Malaysian Concert and Event Spend (QMCES) expenditure or a maximum of RM1.5mil. 'To qualify for this, the organiser must meet conditions such as having a minimum capacity of 15,000 attendees and hire 30% Malaysian manpower for the event. 'For events with local artists, organisers could enjoy 30% rebate of its actual QMCES or RM1mil if they meet the conditions for the incentive,' she said, adding that the conditions and application could be done online. Teo added that CEMI, managed by MyCreative Ventures with the support of the ministry, was to support the organisation of large-scale concerts and events in Malaysia. She said the incentive is open for application starting May 15 until July 10 for events taking place this year or next year.

The Star
7 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Media Council to be set up soon, says Fahmi
Moving forward: Fahmi (centre) posing with ommunications Ministry staff in Putrajaya. Also present are Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching (in blue), Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa (on Fahmi's left) and Bernama chief executive officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin (in red). — Bernama PUTRAJAYA: Efforts to formally set up the Malaysian Media Council (MMC) are under way, with an official announcement expected soon. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, who disclosed this, said it could be announced before the National Journalists Day (Hawana) 2025 celebration on June 14. He said the process will commence once the MMC Bill passed by the Dewan Rakyat on Feb 26 and Dewan Negara on March 19 receives the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's consent and is officially gazetted. 'We expect to begin the process of officially creating the MMC within the next few weeks, once the Bill receives royal consent and is gazetted. 'It will take some time due to the administrative and financial aspects, which involve waiting for allocations from the Finance Ministry. 'We hope to have good news about the MMC by Hawana,' he told reporters after the ministry's monthly assembly here yesterday, Bernama reported. Fahmi previously said the proposed MMC is expected to get off the ground by mid-2025. The council will serve as a self-regulatory body to safeguard media freedom and uphold journalistic ethics, while also empowering the national media industry. In his speech earlier, Fahmi said Hawana 2025 is not just a celebration but a platform to strengthen the media ecosystem and recognise the vital role played by journalists. 'It also aims to reinforce professionalism and responsible freedom of expression among media practitioners. 'As a curtain-raiser, a pre-launch for Hawana will take place on June 3 at Wisma Bernama,' he said. The highlight will be on June 14 at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL), with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the special guest. The event is expected to see the gathering of about 1,000 local and foreign journalists. Organised by the Communications Ministry with Bernama as the implementing agency, Hawana 2025 will feature a variety of activities, including a Pesta Pantun on May 31, a pre-launch event with strategic partners at Wisma Bernama on June 3 and media forum jointly hosted with the Malaysian Press Institute.