Chinese residents of Malaysian ‘ghost city’ and indebted developer spot a few green shoots

Resentments have been piling up for Louis Li since he moved from Guangzhou to a luxury home in Malaysia’s Forest City development about six months ago for his children’s schooling.

Before he began investing in his three units almost a decade ago, Li checked out the property at a “prosperous” time.

“When they started sales, ads were going up all over Guangdong province, so I came to visit,” he recalled. “Lots of people were here then, plus shops, restaurants and the hotel were all open.”

Today, his properties still sit high above a residents-only outdoor pool surrounded by palm gardens. Beyond the gardens lies an artificial beach along the calm Straits of Johor overlooking Singapore.

But Li has nothing good to say about the place any more.

The 26,000-unit Forest City – set off from urban Johor Bahru on an artificial spit of land near the tip of the Malaysian peninsula – lacks a supermarket, which is inconvenient when he and his children, aged seven and eight, need groceries not available at the local convenience store, Li grumbled. A shopping centre trip requires 30 to 40km (18 to 25 miles) of car travel.

Standing beside the tower’s basketball court on a muggy Monday night in February, Li said Forest City’s retailers enjoyed better fortunes before the Covid-19 pandemic. Just a handful of shops visibly operate now in the 3 sq km (1.16 square mile) compound. Trash easily accumulates in public spaces.