How Malaysia is finding its way out of the middle-income trap

It has taken the slow but steady route while addressing an ethnic incongruity

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim vows to focus on achieving faster growth. Left: Kuala Lumpur's new landmark, Merdeka 118, is a symbol of the country's growing affluence. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Hiroki Endo and Reuters)

TORU TAKAHASHI, Nikkei senior staff writer

December 24, 2023 11:14 JST

KUALA LUMPUR -- Asia's megacities often undergo surprising metamorphoses in short amounts of time. Kuala Lumpur is one such example. When I visited the city in late October, I was amazed at how much it had modernized since I visited nine years ago.