Following a report stating that Tesla had cancelled plans to build a factory in Malaysia, Minister Tengku Zafrul clarified that discussions with the electric vehicle company never involved commitments for a factory. He also discredited the report, urging reporters to verify with the company. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim supported Zafrul's statement, stating that China's competition, not Malaysia's performance, led to the deferment of Tesla's expansion plans. The original report alleging the scrapped plans in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand has sparked debates on the accuracy of the news and the relationship between the country and the company.