KUALA LUMPUR – The proposed investment by Chinese electric automotive company BYD Sime Motors in Tanjung Malim, Perak is not a narrow state issue; rather, it is an investment proposal grounded in Malaysia’s national interests.
Ipoh Timur MP and Invest Perak Board Member, Howard Lee, said that the stance on BYD’s investment in Tanjung Malim was formed based on research, technical assessments, investment intelligence, and multiple rounds of coordination between the state and federal governments.
Based on these factors, Lee said Perak has always been confident that the BYD investment in Tanjung Malim aligns not only with the state’s interests but also with national interests and policies.
Therefore, Lee reminded Investment Deputy Minister, Trade and Industry, Sim Tze Tzin, not to belittle the views, intelligence, capabilities, and efforts of the state government.
“If defending the BYD investment in Tanjung Malim can be considered ‘narrow,’ then is the Deputy Minister also suggesting that the national policy direction to develop Tanjung Malim as a high-growth, high-value, high-technology automotive hub is itself ‘narrow’?
“I must clarify that I am involved in this matter as a federal representative and also as an unpaid member of the Invest Perak Board of Directors.
“From the beginning, I have been involved in coordinating meetings and engagements between BYD and the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Housing and Local Government, as well as senior federal officials, and this issue has never been a narrow state matter,” he said.
In August 2025, BYD was reported to be opening an electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing plant in Tanjung Malim, with production expected to begin in 2026.
However, media reports indicated that BYD’s plan to build a CKD (completely knocked down) EV assembly plant in Malaysia might not proceed following new conditions set by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI).
Among the key issues is the requirement that 80% of produced vehicles be exported, while only 20% are allowed for the local market, with a minimum price of RM200,000.
However, MITI clarified in a statement that no unfair conditions were imposed on car manufacturers; instead, the requirements apply equally to all new automotive investments since September 2025.
Meanwhile, Lee said the entire process regarding the issue has a clear record—from initial engagement, site visits, coordination, fast-track facilitation, company registration, land agreement signing, to the application for an interim manufacturing license.
“This is a seriously driven investment project, not a seasonal slogan.
“Perak certainly has enough grounds to respond by saying that some parties have bowed to corporate lobbying, practiced narrow protectionism, and failed to listen to the realities and urgent needs of the times amid the restructuring of global supply chains.
“However, Perak has not done so. Perak chooses to remain professional — adhering to facts, not labels,” he said.
He added that since MITI stated Malaysia welcomes world-class automotive companies to participate in the entire value chain, including components, research and development, logistics, and after-sales services, the question is not whether Perak supports national policy.
Rather, he said, the question is whether the implementation of that policy is flexible enough to achieve outcomes that best serve national interests.
“Based on the facts before us, the BYD investment in Tanjung Malim clearly meets that benchmark.
“If we are expected to remain silent and allow corporate lobbying based on misinformation to divert a strategic investment elsewhere, the Perak team will not yield,” he said. – April 19, 2026