SINGAPORE, June 3 (Bernama) — The next round of negotiations on the EU-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is expected to resume in the fourth quarter, says Ambassador & Head of Delegation of the European Union to Malaysia, Luc Vandebon. He said both sides are working to resume the process as soon as possible. “Recently an informal video conference was held between my colleagues in Brussels and the Ministry of International Trade & Industry where both sides reaffirmed their interest to further discuss and negotiate on the proposed FTA. “After such a long break, the EU and Malaysia need to compare notes and take stock on the various issues, to verify if we are in sight of each other. If this “stock taking” process goes well, as I think and hope, then we will be in a position to resume the negotiations, maybe in autumn,” he said in response to Bernama in an email interview. The Technical Working Groups of the negotiating teams met in Kuala Lumpur last...

SINGAPURA 10 Julai - Pelaburan bersama antara syarikat-syarikat akan meningkatkan lagi penyepaduan ekonomi dalam ASEAN, kata Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed (gambar). Dalam konteks mencapai Komuniti Ekonomi ASEAN, kata beliau, sudah ada banyak kemajuan yang dilihat, termasuk dalam perdagangan, piawaian, pengangkutan dan saling hubung. “Dalam pelaburan, ia tidak begitu jelas, tidak terlalu ketara tetapi memang ada banyak pelaburan, bukan hanya Malaysia dan Singapura; kita perlu lakukan lebih lagi (dengan negara-negara lain) termasuk Indonesia, Thailand dan Vietnam,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas menemui enam syarikat yang melabur dalam Iskandar Malaysia. Sebelum itu, Mustapa, yang berada di sini untuk meneruskan perbincangan dengan komuniti perniagaan Singapura, juga mengadakan pertemuan waktu makan tengah hari dengan Dewan Perniagaan dan Industri Cina Singapura semalam. Menteri itu menegaskan bahawa sudah ada beberapa usaha sama...

SINGAPORE, Feb 12 (Bernama) — As Malaysia gears towards becoming an aerospace hub in the region, Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) is taking relentless efforts to promote the country’s industry players expand their markets overseas, a senior official said. Md Silmi Abdul Rahman, MATRADE Director (Transport, Logistics, Machinery, Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO)/Europe, Trade and Services Promotion Division) said the aerospace industry is a new industry under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) mooted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. “As such, we are looking towards a higher value industry to move forward. Aerospace is one of the 13 sub-sectors of the industry,” he told BERNAMA when met at the Singapore Airshow being held at the Changi Exhibition Centre. He said MATRADE has been tasked to undertake the promotion drive of this industry to look for new overseas markets for Malaysian players. “All this while most of the...

KUCHING 4 Mac - Johor merupakan destinasi pilihan utama pelabur di negara ini apabila mencatatkan nilai pelaburan berjumlah RM14.4 bilion dalam sektor pembuatan mengatasi Selangor, Sarawak dan Pulau Pinang pada tahun lalu. Timbalan Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri, Datuk Ir. Hamim Samuri berkata, Selangor berada di tangga kedua dengan hasil pelaburan sebanyak RM9.8 bilion, diikuti Sarawak (RM8.27 bilion) dan Pulau Pinang (RM3.9 bilion). Katanya, daripada keempat-empat negeri itu, Sarawak mencatat hasil pelaburan hampir mencecah dua kali ganda berbanding tahun sebelumnya iaitu sebanyak RM4.72 bilion. Menurutnya, jumlah itu menunjukkan pengusaha dan penggiat aktiviti perniagaan pelbagai peringkat di Sarawak mempunyai keyakinan dalam menarik pelabur asing dan domestik terhadap prestasi ekonomi negeri itu. “Saya juga percaya komitmen kerajaan negeri dalam mewujudkan suasana kondusif dan mesra pelabur ternyata berjaya menarik pelabur untuk menanam modal di Sarawak,”...

KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 (Bernama) — The services sector will contribute 60 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2020, making it a major contributor to Malaysia’s economy, said International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed. Currently, the services sector accounts for 55 per cent of the country’s GDP. “We have less than six years to achieve this. We need to do something radical to invigorate the services sector. It has done well, growing faster than other sectors but that is not enough,” he told reporters after Malaysia Services Development Council 1/2014 meeting here Thursday. Also present at the meeting were Pemandu (Performance Management & Delivery Unit) Chief Executive Officer Datuk Seri Idris Jala and representatives from the various ministries, agencies and services industries association. Mustapa said the council was briefed, among others, on the progress of the services sector liberalisation initiative at the Asean level as well...

MALAYSIA EXTERNAL TRADE STATISTICS TRADE PERFORMANCE FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2014 AND THE PERIOD OF JANUARY-MARCH 2014 # Export Growth Sustained

Exports in March 2014 expanded by 8.4% year-on-year to RM65.03 billion andimports increased by 0.5% to RM55.43 billion from March 2013. Trade surplus increased by 96.8% to RM9.59 billion in March 2014. Malaysia’s total trade in March 2014 rose by 4.6% from a year ago to RM120.46 billion. Increases in trade were recorded with Singapore, which rose RM2.21 billion, Taiwan (↑RM1.64 billion), Australia (↑RM1.06 billion), the Netherlands (↑RM854.7 million), Hong Kong (↑RM391.6 million) and New Zealand (↑RM366.3 million). E&E Drives Exports Exports of manufactured goods was RM43.86 billion or 67.4% of total exports in March 2014, an increase of 8.5% or RM3.44 billion from March 2013. The increase in exports was contributed mainly by higher exports of electrical and electronic (E&E) products especially electronic integrated...

MEDIA RELEASE 20TH APEC MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR TRADE MEETING 17 – 18 MAY 2014

26 June 2014, Kuala Lumpur - YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed, Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) led a dialogue session with 16 companies in Perlis, organised by the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), today.  YB Minister was accompanied by YBhg. Dato’ Azman Mahmud, Chief Executive Officer of MIDA, and other officials from MITI and MIDA. According to Dato’ Sri Mustapa, “There are many opportunities in Perlis that investors should be made to be aware of. All that we need to do is to position Perlis as a state of opportunity.  The State is mainly driven by the agriculture sector.  Notwithstanding this, it is heartening to note that approved investments in the manufacturing sector for 2013 in Perlis have increased substantially by nine times the figures achieved in the year of 2011, a testimony that this state is becoming an increasingly competitive destination for investments.” “We are actively working with all stakeholders including the...

BEIJING, Nov 9 (Bernama) — Malaysia has called for the reconvening of the World Trade Organisation’s Information Technology Agreement (ITA) expansion negotiations and urged for swift conclusion. Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, reiterated Malaysia’s commitment in concluding the ITA expansion negotiations, at the APEC ministerial meeting here. “We hope to see the implementation of the ITA2 agreement in the shortest timeframe possible as it will bring benefits to our economy and promote trade growth,” he said in a statement here today. The business community has a lot to gain from this initiative, he said. It would also support the government’s efforts at creating jobs, he said. Malaysia’s total trade in information communication technology (ICT) and electrical & electronic products in 2013 amounted to US$107 billion while exports totalled US$62 billion and imports amounted to US$45 billion. The ITA expansion negotiations...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia recorded a 9.1. per cent growth in investments in the first nine months of this year compared to the same period in 2013. International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the total RM172.3 billion investments were in services, primary and manufacturing sectors. The services sector was the largest in terms of investments, number of projects and enployment opportunities. The real estate sub sector attracted 56.4 per cent of investments in the servives sector. “The manufacturing sector also did well, recording the highest for the first nine months,” he told a media briefing today. Malaysia recorded RM63.5 billion for the period of January to September. Mustapa said the leading sources of foreign investments were Japan. Singapore, China, Germany and Korea.