In Malaysia's Silicon Valley, fortunes flip as virus wrecks trade war gains

Pentamaster buys most of its components such as motors and sensors from Japan, Europe and China - the latter making up 20% to 30%. In the past few weeks, it has changed the design of some equipment to accommodate parts from outside China, Chuah said.

PENANG: Tech firms at Malaysia's one-time Silicon Valley of the East, swimming in orders from customers fleeing trade war-hit China, have seen fortunes turn again in the space of just a year as the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak cuts them off from Chinese suppliers.

Semiconductor test equipment manufacturer Pentamaster Corp Bhd saw its shares more than double last year as sales surged by about a fifth - the steepest in its 29-year existence - as the firm became a refuge from Sino-U.S. import tariffs.