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Arjavi Indraneesh China’s carefully constructed Gulf strategy is facing one of its toughest tests as Iran’s confrontation with the United States disrupts energy flows, threatens Arab partners and exposes the limits of Beijing’s influence over Tehran. The immediate pressure point is the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping traffic remains sharply below normal levels after months […]

The article Iran escalation puts China’s Gulf strategy under serious strain appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).

Recognition from the U.S. Green Building Council, Global Forum on Human Settlements, GEO Foundation, and Asia’s Top 100 Golf Courses — and what that recognition proves about the full picture of Forest City Special Financial Zone (SFZ).

These include eight awards under the Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements Awards (SCAHSA) series issued by the Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS), as well as a 2024 Certificate of Honor from GFHS; LEED for Core and Shell (LEED-CS) Gold pre-certification from the U.S. Green Building Council; GreenRE Gold ratings for Forest City Island and its international school; GEO Certified status for both golf courses from Scotland’s GEO Foundation; and a seven-year consecutive ranking for Forest City Golf Resort’s Classic Course among the Top 100 Golf Courses in Asia. In 2026, the Classic Course was ranked No. 1 in Malaysia and No. 36 in Asia.

The awards and certifications documented here address a specific set of criteria: design quality, sustainability standards, and operational assessments by independent institutions. This release provides a transparent account of the institutions that have assessed Forest City, the areas reviewed, and the limits of what such recognition can reasonably prove.

Sustainability and Green-Building Recognition

LEED-CS Gold pre-certification has been secured from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for multiple buildings, demonstrating that environmental performance was embedded in project planning from the outset. LEED pre-certification represents verified design intent and a formal commitment to sustainable performance criteria, including energy modelling, water efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

This design-stage commitment is reflected across the master plan, which dedicates over 60% of the total land area to non-built space, equivalent to 2.86 million m² of green infrastructure. This includes two golf courses, public parks, landscaped residential zones, and mangrove corridors extending along the Johor coastline — green space that, as of 2026, supports more than 400 officially documented species.

At the national level, Forest City Island and its international school have received GreenRE Gold ratings under Malaysia’s green real-estate framework, reinforcing the project’s alignment with recognised sustainability benchmarks at both international and domestic levels. Beyond building-level certifications, Forest City has received eight awards under the SCAHSA, issued by the GFHS, an international non-profit organisation in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The documented recognition spans planning and design, green-building industrial development, city-industry integration, green smart city development, coastal ecological protection, low-carbon city planning, and green and intelligent construction, with awards recorded from 2016 to 2023. In 2024, Forest City also received a Certificate of Honor at the 19th Global Forum on Human Settlements from GFHS for its contribution to promoting sustainable cities and human settlements for all.

Golf and Hospitality Recognition

Forest City’s leisure and hospitality assets have also received external recognition, led by the continued performance of Forest City Golf Resort’s Classic Course in regional rankings. The Classic Course has maintained its position among the Top 100 Golf Courses in Asia for seven consecutive years, ranking No. 1 in Malaysia and No. 36 in Asia in 2026, a rise of 14 places from the previous year. The ranking is assessed by an independent panel co-hosted since 2016 by the Chinese and Korean editions of Golf Travel magazine and was reported by The Star on 26 April 2026 following the awards ceremony at Hillview Golf Club on 14 April 2026.

The hospitality component of the resort has also received platform-based recognition. Forest City Golf Hotel earned the Agoda Gold Circle Award 2025 based on service ratings and operational performance on the booking platform. Forest City regards the award as an encouraging indicator of its commitment to guest experience and service consistency, while noting that it reflects day-to-day hospitality performance rather than a measure of the wider development.

Additionally, both golf courses have earned GEO Certified status from Scotland’s GEO Foundation, which evaluates sustainable golf-course operations. GEO Certified is described by the GEO Foundation as “golf’s most comprehensive and widely recognised eco-label”, and is awarded following successful completion of the OnCourse programme and an independent audit. Collectively, these accolades attest to quality across golfing excellence, hospitality service, and environmental stewardship — recognition reflected in visitor engagement, with the resort welcoming more than 100,000 golfers in 2025.

Economic and Community Contribution

Forest City’s recognition record is supported by reported economic and social contribution figures. Internal records indicate that, as of November 2025, the development had contributed over RM790 million in taxes to the Malaysian government, alongside more than RM50 million in employee-related taxes.

More than RM53 million has been invested in charity and community programmes, including support for local schools and villages, and more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs have been created.

According to Forest City’s internal records as of November 2025, the development has engaged more than 190 local enterprises, attracted property owners from over 20 countries and territories, and contributed to attracting an estimated 300,000 international visitors to Malaysia.

The Significance Behind These Awards

In 2018, Forest City was profiled by Forbes as one of the “5 new cities that are set to shake up the future”. While the coverage is now nearly eight years old, it underscores the project’s long-standing visibility in global urban development conversations, rather than serving as an endorsement of present-day investment returns.

Green-building certifications relate primarily to design and operational standards; the SCAHSA recognitions focus on planning and sustainability; and golf-course rankings evaluate course quality and related criteria.

For prospective residents and investors, the awards should therefore be treated as evidence of build quality, institutional engagement and assessed sustainability credentials, to be considered alongside current data on occupancy, demand, connectivity and market liquidity. Questions relating to the Special Financial Zone framework and connectivity — including the Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System Link scheduled to open for passenger service on 1 January 2027 — should be assessed through dedicated materials, current market data and, where relevant, Forest City’s investment overview.

The Broader Impact of Awards and Recognitions

The relevance of Forest City’s awards and certifications varies by audience. For ESG-minded investors and institutions, the most relevant credentials are Forest City’s LEED-CS Gold pre-certification, GreenRE Gold ratings, and GFHS recognition. These are issuer-named credentials aligned with green-investment screening and can be reviewed alongside Forest City’s broader investment framework. For enterprises operating within the SFZ, this integrated environment — where land and marine ecosystems are carefully preserved — enhances environmental performance and strengthens sustainability credentials.

For prospective residents and families, the GreenRE rating for the international school and the golf and hospitality recognition for the resort may be more directly relevant to daily living than city-planning awards. These credentials point to quality — but prospective residents should also assess schools, amenities, transport, community facilities, and the broader facts about Forest City on the ground.

For Malaysia-market watchers, Forest City’s SCAHSA record and reported RM790 million tax contribution mark the development as a recognised case study in green development and city-industry integration. This recognition is a data point on the development’s institutional standing, not a forecast of its commercial outcome.

Conclusion

What the awards record does establish is something more specific. Forest City reports nearly 40 awards and certifications across named institutions, including the U.S. Green Building Council, the Global Forum on Human Settlements, the GEO Foundation, and the Top 100 Golf Courses in Asia panel. This is accompanied by reported contributions of more than RM790 million in taxes and the creation of more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs. Prospective residents and investors should also consider Forest City’s position as the financial-services flagship within the Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone, along with its duty-free island and Malaysia Digital Status.

The strongest claim the awards support is also the most modest one: that Forest City has been built and planned to a standard that named international institutions have repeatedly chosen to certify — which is a starting point for due diligence, not a substitute for it.
Hashtag: #ForestCity #SFZ #ForestCityAchievements #Malaysia

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About Forest City Special Financial Zone

Located in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, Forest City Special Financial Zone (FCSFZ) is Malaysia’s first designated special financial zone and a key financial-services component of the Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone. It is positioned to attract financial institutions, multinational corporations, high-net-worth individuals and businesses operating in wealth management, financial technology and global business services.

Its incentive framework includes a 0% income tax rate for qualifying Single Family Office Vehicles for up to 20 years, a preferential 5% corporate tax rate for approved qualifying activities, and a special 15% personal income tax rate for eligible knowledge workers, subject to the applicable conditions, regulatory approvals and prevailing legislation. Forest City also holds duty-free island status, further strengthening its appeal as a regional investment, business and wealth-management destination near Singapore.

The yuan has gained about 3.6 per cent against the dollar this year, making it one of Asia’s strongest-performing currencies. The advance has persisted despite falling Chinese government bond yields and a widening yield disadvantage against US Treasuries, conditions that would normally encourage capital to favour the dollar. Strong export receipts and increased conversion of dollar earnings by exporters have instead provided sustained support for the currency.

Pressure intensified after the US and Japan intervened to strengthen the yen at the end of July. The operation marked the first coordinated action by Washington and Tokyo to support the Japanese currency since 1998, following a slide that took the yen to four-decade lows. US authorities had also alerted major banks to be prepared for possible intervention through the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, highlighting Washington’s concern about excessive currency volatility.

The yen subsequently surrendered roughly half of its initial gains, but the intervention had broader consequences across Asian foreign-exchange markets. South Korea’s won, the Singapore dollar and the Taiwan dollar have shown relatively high correlations with yen movements, while several other regional currencies have been less sensitive. The spillover has reinforced a wider trend towards appreciation in currencies exposed to North Asian trade and investment flows.

For Beijing, the stronger yuan presents a complicated policy trade-off. Appreciation reduces the local-currency cost of imported commodities and can provide some insulation against inflation generated by energy prices. It can also create more room for monetary easing because policymakers need to worry less about triggering capital outflows or destabilising depreciation.

The cost is greater pressure on exporters at a time when foreign demand has become an increasingly important support for economic activity. China’s export machine has remained resilient while household consumption, property investment and parts of the private economy have struggled to regain momentum. A rising yuan makes Chinese products more expensive abroad and reduces the value of exporters’ overseas earnings when converted back into local currency.

The People’s Bank of China has appeared increasingly willing to moderate the currency’s advance. Daily yuan reference rates have been set weaker than market expectations at times, signalling a preference for slowing appreciation rather than allowing the currency to rise unchecked. China operates a managed exchange-rate system in which the central bank establishes a daily midpoint and permits the onshore yuan to trade within a defined band around that fixing.

The yuan traded around 6.75 per dollar on Wednesday after strengthening through the 6.80 level earlier this year. Exporters have continued selling dollars when the US currency rises, while central-bank guidance has kept the appreciation gradual. Market forecasts generally point towards further controlled yuan strength rather than a rapid revaluation.

The currency’s resilience highlights an unusual divergence inside China’s economy. Long-term sovereign yields have declined as investors price weak domestic demand and subdued inflation, while the yuan has strengthened because of trade surpluses and exporter dollar conversions. China’s current-account surplus has expanded significantly as manufacturing exports have outpaced imports and domestic spending.

That divergence could influence the timing of the next monetary-policy move. One scenario would see the central bank reducing its benchmark policy rate by 10 basis points to 1.3 per cent before the end of the year, using currency strength as protection against depreciation pressure. Expectations remain divided, however, with many economists anticipating unchanged rates through 2026 as policymakers assess inflation, financial stability and the effectiveness of previous easing measures.

July inflation data strengthened the case for additional support. Consumer-price growth slowed to its weakest pace in six months, while producer-price pressures eased, renewing concerns that deflationary forces could return if domestic demand remains subdued. Higher energy costs had previously reduced expectations for further easing.

Currency policy is also becoming more closely tied to trade tensions. China’s expanding manufacturing surplus has generated demands among trading partners for a stronger yuan, particularly as exports of vehicles, machinery, electronics and clean-energy equipment increase. A materially stronger exchange rate would weaken some of that competitive advantage but could also reduce political pressure surrounding trade imbalances.

Installation of SOKOYO‘s split solar street lights for the project being built by Samsung C&T Corp. was completed in July. The arrangement of solar panels was customized at the customer’s request for ease of maintenance.

“SOKOYO provided us with a specially customized solution for our power station,” said Ms. Kathy, senior procurement manager for Samsung. “The entire solar street lighting system consistently met our expectations for brightness, battery life and overall reliability.”

SOKOYO, founded in 2008, has manufactured more than 1 million lighting units installed in a wide range of settings across SoutheastAsia, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.

The company manufactures its own LED modules, solar panels, batteries, light housings and light poles. They have third-party certification for European Union and other safety and reliability standards, which qualifies them for export to global markets.

SOKOYO is regularly appointed to bodies that establish national and industry standards.

SOKOYO‘s product line includes all-in-one solar street lights, all-in-two solar street lights and split-type solar street lights. They can be controlled remotely with IoT technology to improve safety and efficiency. Using solar power makes them immune to disruptions in supplies of oil and gas.

As the industry evolves to focus on “system-level R&D,” SOKOYO is reducing customer costs by enhancing reliability and resistance to heat and cold. To improve efficiency, it is developing smart lighting and IoT applications. It is promoting modular production, intelligent manufacturing and standardized process management.

The research team has seven engineers, some with more than two decades of industry experience. They develop technology for a wide range of environments and customer needs.

SOKOYO has experience in markets including Thailand, thePhilippines, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria. It has developed technology to cope with heat, humidity, sandstorms and low light during extended rains, a challenge in central Africa and other areas.

In Uganda, SOKOYO supplied 1,000 light sets to help improve safety on a busy expressway between the capital, Kampala, and the eastern industrial center of Jinja. They provide the first nighttime lighting on a 22-kilometer section of road crowded with trucks, buses and motorcycles.

In Yemen and the United Arab Emirates, SOKOYO lights use LED modules developed to cope with heat, sun and sand.

The company supplied more than 2,000 light units to Saudi Arabia‘s planned high-tech city of NEOM as part of the Saudi 2030 Vision plan.

Customers can use SOKOYO‘s test facilities to try out different light configurations. Lights can be tested on roads of up to four lanes in an1,100-square-meter darkroom. Designers and urban planners can ensure light is distributed effectively, eliminating dark areas on the road and improving safety.

Batteries are tested to confirm they resist crushing, heat and cold, vibration, overcharging or being dropped. LED modules are drenched in salt spray for up to 72 hours to make sure they resist corrosion.

SOKOYO has been chosen for bodies that formulated eight national and industry standards including the “General Technical Specification for Solar Photovoltaic Lighting Devices” in 2025 with definitions and standards for split-type and integrated solar devices.

SOKOYO products have third-party certification that they meet standards of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and other bodies.Its batteries meet the requirements of the CB scheme under the IEC, recognized in more than 50 countries. Tests confirm they withstand overcharging, high temperature, vibration, impact and short circuit.

The company‘s solar panels received IEC certification that they meet standards for electric shock protection, temperature changes, damp, heat, humidity, hail impact and other factors.

SOKOYO participates in efforts to improve the industry‘s reputation by promoting “zero false labeling” and reliable products that refuse to cut corners.

SOKOYO pays attention to the environment. Its products are designed to minimize light pollution and limit disruption for wildlife, stargazers and the public.

Hashtag: #SOKOYO

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Multidisciplinary Tertiary Hospital with Comprehensive Surgical Capabilities

As a multidisciplinary tertiary hospital, Thomson offers minimally invasive surgery across a broad range of specialties through laparoscopic, thoracoscopic (VATS), endoscopic, arthroscopic, and microsurgical approaches.

Thomson has also further expanded to its wide range of surgical offerings with two advanced procedures: the Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy Vestibular Approach (TOETVA), a scarless thyroid surgery performed through the mouth that eliminates visible neck incisions, and laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis, a keyhole procedure that enables the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis through small incisions. Together, these procedures provide patients with more treatment options while supporting faster recovery where clinically appropriate.

Dr Savitha Dharan, Chief Executive Officer of Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara, explains, “Our aim is to provide patients with access to comprehensive, outcome driven surgical care under one roof. By continuously expanding our minimally invasive surgical capabilities, we empower our multidisciplinary teams to tailor the most appropriate treatment for every patient while delivering care that prioritises safety, precision and better patient outcomes.”

Advancing Surgical Care Through Technology

This next-generation integrated surgical energy platform brings multiple surgical energy technologies together on one platform, equipping surgeons with advanced technology that supports greater surgical precision and shorten overall procedure times. By combining tissue dissection and vessel sealing on a single platform, it enables more efficient surgical workflows targeted in reducing operating times, tissue trauma and recovery time where clinically appropriate.

“When investing in technology, Thomson’s main priority is delivering value-based care; we want better patient outcomes, operational efficiency and long-term value for both patients and our clinical team. This platform allows us to do just that – perform precise minimally invasive procedures and help deliver safe, effective care tailored to each patient’s clinical needs,” Dr Savitha expanded further.

Supported by experienced multidisciplinary teams and modern operating theatres, Thomson continues to invest in technologies that enhance surgical capabilities and improve the overall patient journey.

Supporting Sustainable Healthcare

Beyond its clinical benefits, this advanced integrated surgical energy platform aligns with Thomson’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments by reducing equipment redundancy and improving operating theatre efficiency. This enables the hospital to optimise resource utilisation while continuing to deliver high-quality patient care.

The introduction of the advanced integrated surgical energy platform marks another milestone in Thomson’s ongoing investment in advanced medical technologies, reinforcing its position as one of Malaysia’s leading private hospitals committed to innovation, clinical excellence and patient-centred care.

KKLIU 3218 / EXP 31.12.2028

Hashtag: #ThomsonHospital

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About Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara

Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara (“Thomson”), the flagship hospital of TMC Life Sciences Berhad, is a multi-disciplinary tertiary care centre strategically located in the prime alcove of Kota Damansara, Selangor, established in 2008. Thomson holds a capacity for 554-beds including 25 critical care beds, and houses more than 160 consultant specialists across over 60 specialties and sub-specialties.

An award-winning institution, Thomson’s regional accolades include recognition by Newsweek and Statista as one of Asia’s Top Private Hospitals and Clinics 2026, awarded the Specialist Hospital of the Year, and Specialty Hospital of the Year – Malaysia in 2024 for paediatric services and in 2025 for pulmonology services.

Guided by its vision to be the “Premier Provider of Outstanding Value-Based Medical Services in Southeast Asia”, Thomson remains committed to clinical excellence and is poised for continued growth to meet evolving healthcare needs.

For more information, please visit thomsonhospitals.com or follow THKD on social media platforms @thomsonhospitalKD.