Khor Reports talk on palm oil industry of Indonesia and Malaysia

I am giving a talk to a group of senior executives from Europe. Outline of talk is shown in photo above. Morning of 27 March 2014, Penang.

Three papers in process and research schedule

Just to update readers that I have in process three papers for academic / think-tank publications.

a) I have just sent in to the editors at Kajian Malaysia on a special issue for GE13 on the political-economy of Felda. The final draft is in, tidying up queries requested by the reviewers and on few items missed in formatting.

b) To ISEAS, I submitted the draft of a paper on Malaysia stakeholder views on the Singapore-Johor integration policy (Iskandar Malaysia project).

c) Earlier, I had reviewed on a co-author paper led by Professor Terence Gomez that incorporates segments of my work on Malaysia-China investment ties.

Research and drafting continues on a paper on the frontier palm oil development in Malaysia-Indonesia as well as my book draft on the recent political-economy of palm oil. I also have a powerpoint to put together on the Malaysia-Indonesia palm oil sector and its key players.

Khor Yu Leng giving a seminar at Institute of China Studies, University of Malaya

07 March 2014 | Friday 

3.00 - 5.00 pm

Seminar Room

Institute of China Studies

Fifth Floor of Za'ba Library Building

University of Malaya

 

Abstract

China is Malaysia’s top trading partner but China’s FDI in Malaysia lags in relative terms. China and Malaysia have jointly established the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP) and Qinzhou Industrial Park (QIP) to further boost bilateral trade and investment. Investment promoters see Malaysia as a country for China to reach markets within country-of-origin rules; and the state of Pahang where the MCKIP is planned will likely be selected as the gateway for bringing investment and jobs into the Malaysia Eastern Corridor, which covers an economically lagging area on the peninsula. Sources indicate that the industrial park projects are linked to two significant land deals. The first may relate to the QIP land swap arrangement for land in the Binhai township. The second, at the MCKIP, is said to include the conversion of some state-controlled land for the use of the industrial park. Country data indicates a large imbalance in FDI flows with the broad conclusion that Malaysia OFDI flows to China exceeds the reverse by a factor of five to eight times or even more. However these statistics may still misrepresent the picture since many Malaysian tycoons use Hong Kong as a base for their investments into China. To begin to correct this imbalance, Malaysia will quickly need to draw in China OFDI equivalent at least to what it has received in recent years from Germany. Such a rapid transformation in Malaysia-China investment outcomes is unlikely without more significant investment drivers in place. The relatively small size of the MCKIP (just over a tenth of the size of its twin project in Qinzhou) is suggestive of a continued imbalance in Malaysia-China foreign investments.

 

About the speaker

Khor Yu Leng is a political economist and graduate of Oxford University and the London School of Economics. First working in the financial sector, she is now an independent analyst, working on customized research and qualitative analysis reports for global corporate clients. She is a specialist in market research, resource-based industries, frontier markets, sustainability and risk. Yu Leng was Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore for 2013. “ISEAS Perspective: The Significance of China-Malaysia Industrial Parks“ was issued 17 Jun 2013 and she is currently working on a co-author academic article on Malaysia-China investment ties. Yu Leng has been interviewed or cited by international media including the Financial Times, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, BBC News and Al Jazeera. 

 

ALL ARE WELCOME

*As the Institute of China Studies is located in a library building, seminar participants are advised not to bring in any briefcases or bags to avoid possible delay caused by the usual necessary library bag checks, or having to leave the bags or briefcases outside the library entrance. Please come in through the main entrance of the Za’ba Library. Also, please refrain from parking outside a parking bay to avoid having your vehicle clamped by campus security. (In case of serious parking problem, please call our office for assistance: 03-79565663, 03-79561695 or 03-79588173) Please do not hesitate to contact us for enquiries and to confirm your attendance.

Chapter in ISEAS Perspective Selections 2012-2013

My piece on Malaysia-China Industrial Parks is in book, "ISEAS Perspective Selections 2012-2013." I did a briefing on it at Parlimen Malaysia to PR MP and guests, a while back. Have been invited by researchers at Universiti Malaya to do same in early March.

Link to the article: http://khoryuleng.blogspot.com/2013/07/khor-yu-leng-for-iseas-perspectives.html

ISEAS Perspectives: The Tough Task of Narrowing Malaysia’s Fiscal Deficit by Khor Yu Leng

Here's is my review of key risks in Malaysia's fiscal situation and the likely problems in addressing them. These include concerns about patronage affecting the bond market.

You can find the report here: http://tinyurl.com/obze3e4 and of course please visit here for more: http://www.iseas.edu.sg/

As Visiting Research Fellow at ISEAS

I've been just over 9 months as Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore. 3 more months to go for my assignment there. My works list below.

Work done:

1. Struggle for Sustainability in the palm oil industry shows results - ISEAS Perspective. March 2013.

2. The Sabah-Sulu Crisis Threatens the Palm Oil Supply Chain - ISEAS Perspective. March 2013.

3. Malaysia-China Industrial parks briefing paper. April 2013.

4. Malaysia-China Industrial parks - ISEAS Perspective. May 2013.

5. Singapore-Johor Integration - policy and politics. Prelim review July 2013 (for Sijori Book).

6. Malaysia's Fiscal Titanic - for upcoming ISEAS Perspective. Draft dated Sept 2013 under review edit by ISEAS at present.



Work in progress:

1. Power and Politics of Palm Oil. Draft targeted end Nov 2013 (for ISEAS consideration)

2. Singapore-Johor integration policy and politics. Draft due Nov 2013 (for Sijori Book).

3. Palm Oil: developing the East Kalimantan frontier (due date, to be confirmed).


I also had a few media interviews resulting from the ISEAS position:
1. Don't expect problem to go away in next few months: Experts, The Straits Times, 27 April 2013
2. Oil palm a lucrative crop for Indonesia, Malaysia, The Straits Times, 26 June 2013
3. Infographic: From plantation to product, Palm oil companies are being blamed for the haze from land being cleared by burning
4. Hard work finding eco-palm oil goods, The Straits Times, 16 July 2013
5. Live interview for BBC News
(and missed a few spots with Channel News Asia) 
 

Khor Yu Leng for ISEAS Perspectives: Significance of China-Malaysia Industrial Parks

2013: 37 Khor Yu Leng (17 June): The Significance of China-Malaysia Industrial Parks. Chinese Engagement with Southeast Asia series No. 4