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France and Malaysia are set to strengthen their “sovereignty partnership,” focusing on security, defence, and emerging energy sectors to boost strategic autonomy. French Ambassador Marc Abensour said the initiative aims to enhance both countries’ resilience amid growing global technological and security challenges. “Developing your own security and defence capabilities increases sovereignty and autonomy. France has a long-standing relationship with Malaysia in these sectors, and we aim to expand it further,” he explained. The announcement came during the “French Security Days ASEAN 2026 – Malaysia,” organised by Business France, which showcased French security and cybersecurity technologies and facilitated networking and industrial partnerships with Malaysian stakeholders. Beyond defence, the partnership is expanding into energy transition and critical minerals. Abensour highlighted cooperation in civilian nuclear energy and ASEAN power grid development, following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to France in July 2025. “France generates over 70% of its electricity from nuclear energy. We can share expertise on nuclear safety and inclusive management of such programmes,” he said. He also cited a recent agreement between Malaysian firm Malaco Mining San Bha and French company Carester on critical minerals as an example of technology transfer supporting Malaysia’s global value chain growth while meeting ESG standards. Jean-François Ambrosio, Director of Business France Malaysia, added that established French firms like Airbus and Sergi, along with newer companies, see Malaysia as a strategic regional hub. “Our next step is to help these companies find local partners and clients to build long-term operations in Malaysia,” he said.

Electricity transmission capacity to Sabah’s east coast has been significantly enhanced following the completion of a RM9.2 million grid upgrade aimed at strengthening supply stability and reducing generation costs in Tawau. Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Mohd Yaakob Jaafar said the project involved installing a 132kV capacitor bank at the main Tawau intake substation. Work began in November 2024 and was completed on Dec 31. The upgrade forms part of a broader strategy to channel lower-cost electricity generated on Sabah’s west coast to the east coast, where power production is more expensive due to heavier reliance on diesel generation. “The goal is to transmit more affordable energy from the west coast to the east coast, particularly Tawau, where generation costs are higher,” Yaakob said during a media site visit on Friday. He noted that the earlier upgrading of the 275kV transmission line from Sandakan to Lahad Datu in March last year had already raised east coast supply capacity from about 210MW to 260MW. With the completion of the capacitor bank installation, transmission capacity to Tawau can now reach up to 400MW. Yaakob added that the Energy Commission of Sabah had set a target for the project to be completed before the end of 2025. Sabah Electricity delivered the project on schedule, within budget and without workplace incidents. Tawau’s current electricity demand ranges between 170MW and 180MW daily. Supply is supported by the main grid and three local power stations — HDA Kubota, HDA Tawau and IPP Serudong — with no immediate supply constraints. Although the upgrade was primarily aimed at enabling the transfer of cheaper energy rather than directly reducing outages, service reliability has improved. Tawau’s System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) has improved from about 180 minutes previously to around 130 minutes. Looking ahead, Sabah Electricity is studying the installation of reactor systems in Sandakan to further strengthen power flow along the east coast corridor. Under the Sabah Energy Roadmap, the utility also plans to gradually phase out diesel power stations in Sandakan and Tawau between 2027 and 2029. These will be replaced with more cost-effective and sustainable energy sources, including large-scale solar projects on both the west and east coasts. Additional renewable energy capacity is also being planned to support long-term supply security in the region. “The objective is to reduce reliance on costly diesel generation and ensure a more stable, affordable and reliable electricity system for Sabah,” Yaakob said.

Digital marketing agency LOCUS-T has launched a dedicated Xiaohongshu (XHS) marketing package, enabled by a strategic partnership with UFriend Media, a Tier-1 partner of Xiaohongshu, to help Malaysian brands reach and engage younger audiences as well as penetrate the Chinese consumer market through the fast-growing platform.  Deric Wong (right), Managing Director of LOCUS-T, and Victor Liu (left), Director of Ufriend Media, signing the MOU for the Xiaohongshu (XHS) partnership. The launch and memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing were held at LOCUS-T’s headquarters, formalising a collaboration that combines structured digital marketing strategy with platform-level expertise to support brand execution on Xiaohongshu. Xiaohongshu has more than 300 million users globally and continues to gain traction in Malaysia, where it records over 2.5 million monthly active users. The platform is particularly popular among users aged 18 to 35, offering brands opportunities to reach this segment through discovery-led content and community-driven interactions. As the platform prioritises peer recommendations and content discovery, early participation allows brands to build visibility and trust ahead of wider market adoption. The newly launched LOCUS-T XHS Package provides a structured pathway for brands to establish and grow their presence on the platform. It includes brand and audience strategy aligned to XHS content formats, content planning and posting cadence, creative direction guidance, advertising and lead-generation campaigns, as well as performance tracking and reporting. Through the partnership, UFriend Media supports campaign execution with platform expertise, access to Xiaohongshu’s creator ecosystem, and operational delivery capabilities, strengthening brands’ ability to activate campaigns effectively. LOCUS-T Co-Founder and Managing Director Deric Wong said the launch reflects evolving  audience behaviour and the agency’s service expansion. “With the addition of Xiaohongshu to our offerings, LOCUS-T now supports clients with a more complete, end-to-end digital marketing solution, covering full-funnel strategy from visibility to engagement and conversion,” he added. LOCUS-T currently provides digital marketing services across SEO, paid media including Google,  Meta and TikTok, website design and development, as well as website maintenance. The introduction of Xiaohongshu marketing expands the agency’s capabilities, enabling clients to integrate social discovery platforms into their broader digital growth strategy. The agency was recently recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records for achieving the “Most Active SEO Service Contracts by an Agency,” reflecting the scale of its SEO operations in Malaysia.  Established in 2000, LOCUS-T has served more than 7,000 clients across 50 industries and marked its 25th anniversary in 2025. The MOU signing ceremony was attended by invited partners, selected clients, and senior business and marketing leaders, reflecting growing interest among Malaysian businesses in expanding their digital channel mix to reach younger markets.