Malaysia and China to launch smart city projects

Malaysia and China have agreed to work together on smart city pilot projects, including the establishment of command centres in Ipoh and Seberang Perai. The initiative was announced following a bilateral meeting between Malaysia’s Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming and China’s Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Ni Hong. The talks took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN-China Ministerial Roundtable on Construction 2025 in Guilin, China.

Nga Kor Ming said the projects would serve as “living laboratories” to test smart technologies, energy-efficient designs and community-based housing. Malaysia will draw on China’s platforms. This is reported by BERNAMA, a partner of TV BRICS.

Plans include smart infrastructure, home automation, IoT-based building management, solar energy systems and elderly-friendly housing models.

During the talks, Nga invited China to take part in the ASEAN+3 Real Estate Conference (AREC) 2026, which will welcome South Korea and Japan as strategic partners for the first time. The event is scheduled for 29 July 2026 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur.

He also proposed an exchange training programme for Malaysian and Chinese government officials to strengthen expertise in urban planning and policy. “The exchange programme will provide a valuable platform for our government officials to share expertise and learn best practices. This collaboration should not end at knowledge-sharing alone but be followed through with project implementation in Malaysia,” Nga said.

Photo: metamorworks / iStock