Kuala Lampur, Aug. 16 -- Malaysia's struggle to protect its micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from the enormous competitive pressures generated by e-commerce platforms should not be viewed as a uniquely Malaysian problem. Nor should it be reduced to a bilateral problem between Malaysia and China.

Something much larger is happening.

Across the world, consumers are migrating from physical shops and conventional retail chains towards e-platforms that can offer enormous product selections, instantaneous price comparisons, personalised recommendations and increasingly inexpensive cross-border delivery.

Malaysia is merely one part of this global transformation.

The arrival and expansion of powerful Chinese platforms such as Pinduo...