• In recent years, Muslim food becomes popular in China. With the rising standards of living, the requirement of food safety and taste of the Chinese people is getting higher than before. • With the successful closing of Beijing Olympic Games and the upcoming Shanghai World Expo in 2010, halal food is gaining importance to serve the needs of more Muslim visitors. • In the past three years, the China’s Muslim food sector has experienced fast development. Due to the strong demand in China’s mainland, most of the Chinese Muslim enterprises are now increasing the production scale to tap the growing market share. • In recent years, Chinese Halal food and product industry has sustained a development growth of 10% per year and in 2006, the total Halal food commerce was more than US$ 2.1 billion. Comparing with the international marketing, China’s market share only accounted for 0.1%. • The total value of China’s Halal food exports was less than US$ 100 million. This...

The Malaysian American Electronics Industry (MAEI) expects a turnaround in the global electrical and electronics (E&E) industry by 2010 with demand picking up for personal computers, disc storage systems and mobile phones as widely forecasted by major international research houses. Exports of US electronics manufacturers in Malaysia are to register 15-20% rise in the second quarter of 2009, and another 10% in the third quarter. The increase is driven by the stimulus packages implemented by governments worldwide, especially China. The expected increase in exports in the second quarter is also due to worldwide consolidation activities and inventory correction. Malaysia has also benefited from the global economic crisis as some companies gained from additional activities and increased use of shared services as a result of the consolidation of overseas companies and outsourcing strategies, such as in design and development (D&D), procurement, financial services, IT and human...

ASEAN-wide: 98.94 per cent of all products have been placed in the Inclusion List (IL) of the CEPT Scheme for AFTA. Of which 97.15 per cent are at 0-5 per cent. Average tariff in 2009 is 1.65 per cent (1.95 per cent in 2008). For ASEAN-6: 99.40 per cent of all their products are in the Inclusion List (IL), of which 99.71 per cent are at duty of 0-5 per cent. Average tariff is 0.79 per cent in 2008 (1.32 per cent in 2007). For CLMV: 98.31 per cent of all their products are in the IL, of which 93.15 per cent are at duty of 0-5 per cent. Average tariff is 3.00 per cent in 2009 (3.69 per cent in 2008).

Exports continued to expand in July 2009, increasing RM3.8 billion or 8.4% from June 2009. Imports increased by 14.2% to RM41.1 billion from the month before. Total trade increased month-on-month by RM8.9 billion or 11% from June 2009. Malaysia also recorded a trade surplus of RM7.8 billion making July 2009 the 141 consecutive month of trade surplus since November 1997. Year-on-year comparison for the period January to July 2009 showed a marked contraction in total trade, exports and imports. In the first seven months, total trade fell by 23.9% from the corresponding period of 2008. Exports declined by 23.3% to RM299.4 billion while imports shrank 24.7% to RM232.3 billion. Five export destinations namely Singapore, China. USA, Japan, Thailand collectively contributed 51.7% of Malaysia’s total exports in July 2009. Singapore remained the top export market while China overtook both the USA and Japan to become Malaysia’s second largest export destination since March...

Malaysian businesses should capitalise on their competitive edge in the service sectors to tap preferential trade facilities under the China-Asean Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), said International Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir. “I see there is less competition in the services sector as it is totally different from other sectors..it very much depends on quality. “I think Malaysians have certain inherent advantages that we should make full use of,” he told Bernama on the sidelines of the “2010 FOCAFTA” seminar here on Thursday. Mukhriz said there was massive construction going on in many parts of China where Malaysian companies could provide architecture or design services to China. “China can look up to our capablities in this aspect. This is one area we can pursue further,” he said, adding that China was a huge market which also offered business opportunities in several other sectors for Malaysians. Mukhriz said if Malaysian businesses...

Export numbers for December 2009 show a 9.2% rise to RM54.67 billion from the preceding month. With exports overall for the year having contracted only 16.6% compared to the earlier forecast of 20%, more green shoots are coming through. Recovery was led primarily by the recovery in the electrical and electronics sector which accounted for 41.2% of Malaysia’s total exports Where’s it all going? The top five destinations were Singapore, China, Japan, the US and Thailand making Asia the main destination. China’s share of Malaysia’s total exports almost doubled in the five year period to 2009. It was 12.2% as compared with 6.6% in 2005. If taken in combination with Hong Kong, China is now Malaysia’s largest export destination accounting for 17.4% of total exports. We forecast exports will grow by 3.5% this year as they continue along the path towards recovery. In the meantime we will strive to strengthen existing FTAs as well as negotiate and conclude ongoing...

KUALA LUMPUR 22 Feb. - Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed secara rasmi menyertai komuniti maya apabila melancarkan Facebooknya - usaha terbaik mendampingi rakyat dengan berkongsi idea dan pandangan. Facebook Mustapa mula diaktifkan sejak 21 Disember 2009 dan sejak dua bulan lalu telah mempunyai seramai 669 peminat yang terdiri daripada pelbagai latar belakang termasuk dari luar negara. Pelancaran laman sosial itu diadakan dalam Majlis Ramah Mesra Bersama Anak-Anak Kelantan sekitar Lembah Klang di kediaman beliau di sini semalam. Hadir sama, Timbalan Menteri Kewangan, Datuk Dr. Awang Adek Hussin yang juga Timbalan Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan UMNO Kelantan. Selain Facebook yang baru dilancarkan itu, beliau turut mempunyai medium komunikasi maya lain seperti laman web UMNO Jeli, www.umnojeli.net dan laman komuniti Jeli, Kelantan, www.jeli.my yang juga boleh diakses secara talian oleh orang ramai. Mustapa melihat penggunaan media sosial...

 

YB Minister, Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed received a courtesy call from German Ambassador, H.E. Dr. Guenter Georg Gruber and Dr Ernst Roeder-Messell, Counsellor for Economic, Commercial and Environmental Affairs Germany at his office.

Majlis MINI Showcase Groom Big ini adalah bertujuan untuk memberi pendedahan kepada orang ramai dan usahawan mengenai program Groom Big yang dilaksanakan oleh MITI dalam menggalakkan pembangunan usahawan yang berkualiti dan berdaya saing dalam sektor pembuatan dan perkhidmatan di peringkat domestic dan global. Program ini yang bermula sejak 2005 bagi industri makanan dan minuman telah memberikan banyak manfaat kepada usahawan tempatan. Sehingga Februari 2010, sebanyak 1,500 permohonan telah diterima dari seluruh negara dan daripada jumlah itu, 819 syarikat telah diberikan khidmat perundingan yang melibatkan 1,093 projek. Bagi industri kosmetik dan herba, seramai 70 usahawan telah diberikan khidmat perundingan, manakala seramai 15 usahawan dibangunkan dalam industry seramik dan kaca.

Total trade for 2009, the bulk of which went to North east Asia and ASEAN reached the RM988.2billion mark. Exports were valued at RM 553.3 billion. Total investments approved for the year in the manufacturing sector came to RM32.6 billion. This exceeded the RM27.5 billion target set under the Third Industrial Master Plan. Foreign investments garnered RM22.1billion while domestic investment raked in the rest. Total trade in services for the most part of 2009 amounted to RM141.8 billion, with exports accounting for RM72.7 billion and imports RM69.1 billion. Total investments of RM208.3 billion were approved in the services sector from 2006 – 2009 with domestic investment this time comprising 88% and foreign investment 12%. View the  media release of YB Minister’s session with foreign Ambassadors, High Commissioners and Trade Counsellors.