The AI start-up recently released suggesting that China is further ahead in the AI race than previously believed 

MOST of us entered 2025 huffing and puffing, with a laundry list of unfinished to-do stuff. 

But in some places, across the wide ocean, people have been hard at work and churning out amazing results. 

The first month of the year saw the comeback of rapacious Donald Trump as the boss of the US, the most powerful nation on planet earth at this point of time. He has most certainly got everybody’s attention, with pronouncements on possible tariffs and other measures keeping the world glued to their devices. 

Without leaving the borders, Trump has already got everybody jumpy, wondering what will come next. 

The month of January saw a Chinese start-up shake to the core of the IT world with its latest release. DeepSeek is on everyone’s lips. 

The artificial intelligence (AI) start-up recently released a chatbot, called R1 — which, in some respects, performs as well as comparable tools from the US — suggesting that China is further ahead in the AI race than previously believed. Some prominent engineers have marvelled at R1’s capabilities, and DeepSeek has touted the tool’s low cost and efficiency, prompting rivals to speculate whether it was built on the back of Western technology, reports Bloomberg. 

The breakthrough triggered a debate about the effectiveness of US attempts to cut China off from advanced technology. The restrictions, covering a variety of chips and the tools used to make them, are aimed at slowing China’s efforts to develop its semiconductor industry and preventing Beijing from accessing AI that could give the country a military edge, the foreign agency report added. 

That is some amazing development coming out of China, a nation that is destined to change the world in the coming years. As it is, 

it is already making a huge difference in many parts of the world, including Malaysia. 

While the Chinese were busy going deep into AI, our experts were digging deep into ham. Yes, that lump of meat. 

A popular supermarket got entangled in a halal ham and cheese spectacle. In the heart of Malaysia’s oldest university in Kuala Lumpur, two KK Mart outlets were found selling sandwiches carrying the halal logo. It was later discovered that the sandwich supplier did not possess the halal certification. 

Right on the dot, UMNO youth chief Datuk Muhamad Akmal Saleh appears on the scene. 

He went on Chinese-powered TikTok to express his outrage, stating that “ham” contains pork. He asked how a sandwich containing pork could have a halal label on it. For good measure, he reminded KK Mart of the religious sock controversy not too long ago. 

The circus never stops, it seems. Not too long later, a senior PAS politician let fly that Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh is the daughter of YTL Corp Bhd founder Yeoh Tiong Lay. By Perak PAS Commissioner Razman Zakaria’s account, Hannah is the sister of billionaire tycoon Tan Sri Francis Yeoh Sock Ping. 

“PAS needs to know not all Yeohs are related,” Hannah had to explain.

In the clip, the Perak politician also threw a salvo at UMNO — which is an integral part of the federal coalition government — alleging that YTL had exploited Perak with the help of UMNO. So, it was a two-in-one shot — hitting out at both DAP and UMNO. 

Here, you have a politician making connections where none exist. This reminds us of the Chin Peng gaffe by PAS MP Siti Mastura Mohammad. 

Not too long ago, the young PAS lawmaker miraculously found a family connection to tie Bagan MP and former Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng to Communist Party of Malaya leader Chin Peng. The saga ended with the Kepala Batas MP having to pay more than RM800,000 in damages and legal costs to Lim and two other senior DAP leaders. 

You know what, making us endure over and over the antics of the likes of Muhamad Akmal and Siti Mastura should technically be forbidden. But, alas, it is here to stay. 

China, which floated DeepSeek, also ended 2024 with record-breaking trade numbers. Its annual trade balance for last year stood at a whooping US$992.2 billion (RM4.42 trillion), marking new record highs. 

Here, thankfully, Malaysia did well, too. We recorded a record-breaking feat, too. Malaysia’s trade performance in 2024 hit another milestone with a trade surplus of RM136.88 billion, a surplus for the 27th consecutive year since 1998. 

So, while we have not produced our own DeepSeek, Malaysia has had some wins. 

• Habhajan Singh is the corporate editor of The Malaysian Reserve.

• This article first appeared in The Malaysian Reserve weekly print edition