KUALA LUMPUR (July 14): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had a 25-minute virtual meeting with Elon Musk on Friday (July 14) morning, which included discussions on the tech magnate’s interest in investing in Malaysia.
Anwar said that during the meeting they discussed the participation of Musk’s rocket and spacecraft company SpaceX in offering its Starlink satellite service.
The prime minister said Starlink can contribute to faster and wider internet access, especially in rural areas, as it requires minimal physical infrastructure and land to improve the global internet network.
“This initiative will increase the ability and well-being of the people, especially from the aspect of education and the potential of agricultural technology and income generation,” the premier said in a statement.
Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, and Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil also participated in the video conference.
Anwar on Friday also congratulated Musk on Tesla’s new head office, service centre and experience centre in Selangor, which will open later this year.
Earlier in March, the International Trade and Industry Ministry (rebranded to the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry in April this year) announced that electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla Inc, which is also run by Musk, will set up a head office in Malaysia and establish a network of charging stations for its cars here.
“Malaysia will continue to strengthen its commitment to net-zero emissions as early as 2050. Malaysia has a comprehensive plan and ecosystem, as well as competitive resources to support the clean energy industry, including electric mobility,” said Anwar.
Elon was reported to have met with Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang in Beijing during his physical visit to China at end-May, where he also met a key battery supplier and visited Tesla’s Shanghai factory.
On June 19, Reuters reported that Indonesia and SpaceX launched the country’s largest telecommunication satellite from the US, in a US$540 million project intended to link up remote corners of the archipelago to the internet.
The report said roughly two-thirds of Indonesia’s 280 million population already use the internet, but connectivity is limited in remote, underdeveloped eastern islands of the Southeast Asian country.
The Times of India reported on Thursday that Tesla is discussing an investment proposal with the Indian government to set up a factory with an annual capacity to produce about half a million EVs, citing government sources.
Tesla is also looking at using India as an export base to ship cars to countries in the Indo-Pacific region, the report said.