YB Minister presents his Keynote Address at the National Domestic Investments Dialogue & Seminar organised by MIDA and SME Corp. at Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur. The Dialogue & Seminar was well received with participants coming from all over the country.

 

 

 

India’s economy with her growing middle class of 250 million is expected to grow at no less than 8% annually over the next decade. This spells opportunities for Malaysian businesses especially in ICT, healthcare, infrastructure, food products and services. We continue to maintain good bilateral relations and have a proven track record of operating in India. We encourage more businesses to take advantage of this! During my recent official trip, 18 MoUs were signed between Malaysian and Indian companies. The potential value of investments is estimated at RM1.6 billion. This signals the first steps toward collaboration in key areas which include biotech engineering, petrochemical engineering and aerospace engineering. However, signing on the dotted line is only the start and initiatives must be seen through. Here is where MITI becomes the watchdog and will monitor the progress of these MoUs. Toward this end, MITI has started a...

 

 

I met a number of top Thai and Malaysian business leaders in my recent trip to Bangkok in the effort to promote greater collaboration as well as to encourage Thai business leaders to invest in Malaysia. Presently, it is noted that there are many Malaysian companies investing in Thailand. Thai investments in Malaysia is limited. This investment imbalance needs to be addressed. It is encouraging to note that the Thai business leaders have shown high interest in investing in Malaysia. We will receive at least three trade delegations from Thailand within the next three months and expect to see the size of Thailand’s investment in Malaysia to increase accordingly. A delegation of over 120 Thai businessmen will be visiting Malaysia on 28-30 March 2010. A Malaysia-Thai Business Opportunities Seminar will be held on 29 March 2010 at Renaissance Hotel where MITI, MIDA and MATRADE officials will be briefing the Thai business leaders on investment opportunities in Malaysia. A...

 

H.E. Kiat Sittheeamorn, President of the Thailand Trade Representative (TTR) led a 130-member delegation for a visit to Malaysia from 28-29 March 2010. Aimed to further strengthen the bilateral economic relations between the two countries, the visit also sought to explore potential business opportunities for both countries. The visit reinforces the commitments made by leaders of both Malaysia and Thailand when Y.A.B. Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak visited his Thailand counterpart, H.E. Abhisit Vejjajiva last year to bring existing bilateral relation to a higher level. A series of activities were held in conjunction with the visit, including a Seminar on Malaysia -Thailand Trade and Investment Cooperation, bilateral meetings with Minister of International Trade and Industry, Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, as well as the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between British Dispensary (L.P.) Co. Ltd. and CCM Co. Ltd. Malaysia. During the bilateral...

 

The 6th Invest Malaysia 2010 Conference co-hosted by MIDA and Bursa Malaysia was held on 30 and 31 March 2010 at the Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. Organised annually and this time, with MIDA’s participation, the event provided a more comprehensive coverage of Malaysia’s investment environment with the inclusion of the manufacturing and services sectors. With the theme “Powering Global Excellence”, Invest Malaysia 2010 provided the latest updates in Government policies that benefit businesses and investors, including: the implementation of the Government Transformation Programme;  how Malaysia plans to attract private investments towards achieving the goal of a high income economy; and growth areas for further development such as the services sector, aerospace and renewable energy. The highlight of the event was the keynote address by YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, the Prime Minister of Malaysia who announced the first part of the New Economic Model...

The other company, S.E.H (Shah Alam) Sdn. Bhd., a Japanese company with local participation, manufactures silicon polished wafers – one of the only four major producers of the product in the world. Since its inception in 1973, the company has invested RM2.8 billion in this business. Going down to the ground to get first-hand feedback is imperative in the formulation of policies and creation of conducive environment for industries to expand. The issue of natural gas supply, foreign labour policy and shortage of talents in the middle management level were some of the concerns highlighted during my visit. It is my priority now to review the current policies pertaining to investment to ensure Malaysia remains on investors’ radar.  

“ The average shopper now has a choice previously not available to them; today you will find several products many of which have a comfortable spot in most Malaysian supermarkets. This degree of choice is commonplace and to some extent expected for most: in one grocery run, you can pick up cheeses from Australia as well as sayur bayam from a local producer and get the best value for money. With this in mind, free trade agreements (FTAs) often do not receive the attention that they deserve .”  

The 2010 World Competitiveness Yearbook by the International Institute for Management Development, IMD , ranked Malaysia as one of the top 10 most competitive countries in the world !   Check these figures out… For the first time Malaysia has been ranked in the top ten most competitive countries in the world. Malaysia’s strengthened position rests largely on significant improvements in Government and Business Efficiency ratings : Government Efficiency  :  10 ranks up to the 9 th , from the 19th Business Efficiency       :    9 places up to the 4 th , from the 13 th   Among middle-income countries, with GDP per capita under US$20k, Malaysia ranks second only to Taiwan . The top ten includes Singapore, Hong Kong, the United States, Switzerland, Australia, Sweden, Canada and Norway.   In terms of Economic Performance , Malaysia received particularly strong ratings around: Low long-term unemployment (ranked 4 th ), Strong exports as a percentage of GDP...