NEW DELHI, Jan 15 (Bernama) — India remained an interesting market for investments for the long term, Khazanah Nasional Bhd director for investments in India, Babar Ali Khan, said.

 

“India has always been an interesting market for us. We are always on the lookout for suitable investment opportunities,” he said on the sidelines of a briefing session with Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, here today.

Khazanah has been investing in India since 2005.

He however declined to give specific sectors that Khazanah is interested to invest in the country.

Among Khazanah’s direct and indirect investments in India now are Infrastructure Development Finance Company, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad Airport as well as investments in consumer and pharmaceutical sectors.

NEW DELHI, Jan 15 (Bernama) — India’s Sadguru Polymers Pvt Ltd & Triace Solutions is keen to set up a PVC resin manufacturing plant in Malaysia with an initial investment of between RM6.06 million and RM7.13 million. “This will be our first investment out of India and we would like to invest in Malaysia as it is strategically located for us to source the raw materials,” Sadguru Polymers Managing Director Harinath P. said. “We are looking at Johor for now, but we are keeping our options open as Port Klang is an equally attractive location. “We want to be close to the port as it is easier for transportation of raw materials,” he told the Malaysian media here today. The PVC resin, a raw material for the manufacture of pipes and fittings, will be exported to India and other countries, he said. Phase II of the firm’s expansion will be a metallurgical manufacturing plant, he said, adding that the PVC resin plant is the first focus area. “If everything works out...

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 (Bernama) — Malaysia’s participation at this year World Economic Forum (WEF) reflects its commitment to shape the global trade agenda, and lead conversations on Asean economic integration, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said. “This is an important year for Malaysia and as Chair of Asean, we must be in the forefront in ensuring the realisation of the Asean Economic Community (AEC). “We must take the opportunity to engage the international business community and civil society and lead by example,” he said in a statement Friday. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will be attending the two-day forum from Jan 23 in Davos, Switzerland. Najib, who is also Finance Minister, will be accompanied by Mustapa and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Wahid Omar. The delegation also includes several prominent Malaysian business leaders as well as heads of investment-related agencies. One of the...

AVOS (Switzerland), Jan 20 (Bernama) — “More Opportunities”. That is what Malaysia is set to offer at the upcoming World Economic Forum (WEF), which starts tomorrow until Jan 24. Whether it is business opportunities or ease of doing business in Malaysia, there are plenty to offer on the table amid concerns by economists around the world of a very challenging first half, this year. All preparations to hold the 45th annual forum at the world’s famous ski resort of Davos-Klosters in Switzerland are in place despite the shivering cold weather. With this year’s forum themed, “The New Global Context”, more than 40 head of states and government, together with 2,500 business leaders, will convene for five days here to discuss current global economic landscapes and strategies, moving forward. Eye-catching banners reading “Malaysia Doing Business. Building Friendships” and “More Opportunities”, placed at strategic locations around the Panorama Hotel, can be spotted...

Asean will officially call itself a single market by year’s end, but “big things” like seamless travel within the 10-nation bloc would only come in 2020, Malaysia’s trade minister told AFP in an interview. “We’re going to declare ourselves as an Asean Economic Community,” said Mustapa Mohamed, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Southeast Asian bloc this year. “We don’t have complete integration or harmonisation yet, 2015 is laying the stage for bigger things to come,” he said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. “We’re going to get almost there by 2015 but the big things like seamless travel… would come in 2020. “What’s important is that we’re committed, I’m not saying that we’re backtracking,” added the minister. The Southeast Asian bloc, a market of about 600 million people, had set 2015 as a deadline for integrating the region’s vast economies into a single European Union-style market, with tariffs...

KUALA LUMPUR: China’s decelerating growth may be a hard landing for exporters, but trade will continue to grow with hard work, says Minister of International Trade and Industry (Miti) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed. He said China, the foremost trade partner for 120 countries in the world, grew by 7.4 per cent last year, and is very competitive to all exporters vying to gain a market share in that country. “As we work hard to promote our exports, many others will come up with their own initiatives to gain from the Chinese market. “As such, we hope our people will be more aggressive and continue to do well in the big China market,” he added. Mustapa also expressed the view that Malaysia can overcome the turbulence in the global economy as it is more diversified, with China making up only 13 per cent of exports, while having other export partners as Northeast Asia, the US , Japan, South Korea and the European Union. Speaking to reporters at the launch of the “My Asean...

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 (Bernama) — The global slump in oil prices will not have an adverse effect towards the realisation of the Asean Economic Community (AEC), International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said. He described the Brent crude oil price fall to US$48 a barrel until yesterday as temporary. “When I was in Davos for the World Economic Forum annual meeting recently, many leaders concurred that this situation will last for six months and there will be a correction in the second half of the year, and the price will likely rebound, not up to US$100, but between US$60-US$70 a barrel. “If this were to happen, it will be a bonus to us,” he said at a media briefing on the AEC here today. Hence, with the economic recovery expected in the second half of the year, Mustapa believes that the establishment of the AEC would come to fruition by year-end. On the status of the AEC, he said 80.7 per cent or 334 of the 414 Asean-wide measures targeted in...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s trade and exports are expected to grow at a moderate pace of 2% to 3% each this year, lower than the 5.9% and 6.4% achieved respectively in 2014, said Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed. “The 2% to 3% increase in trade and exports takes into account the following: one is the weakening global economy from 3.8% to 3.5%, number two is the uncertainty in currency market, number three is the decline in oil prices and perhaps continued modest growth in terms of commodity prices; we don’t see a sharp uptrend. The two growth forecasts have taken into account these factors,” he told reporters at a briefing on Malaysia’s 2014 trade performance yesterday. He said crude oil prices have been hovering around US$50 per barrel in the past few days but he believes that the US$55 per barrel forecast this year by the ministry is achievable and recovery in oil price is expected next year. Commenting on the currency, Mustapa...

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 5 (Bernama) — Malaysia’s 2014 trade surplus registered double-digit growth of 16.6 per cent, a remarkable achievement when compared with the negative scenario in 2012 and 2013, says Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed today. “The growth impetus in exports resulted in a trade surplus of RM83.11 billion, representing Malaysia’s achievement of 17 consecutive years of trade surplus,” he told reporters at the unveiling of “Malaysia’s Trade Performance 2014″, here today. He said exports in 2014 rose by 6.4 per cent or RM46.14 billion to RM766.13 billion, surpassing the forecast export growth of six per cent in the 2014/2015 Economic Report. Mustapa noted that the country’s imports increased by 5.3 per cent or RM34.32 billion to RM683.02 billion. Malaysia’s total trade expanded by 5.9 per cent to reach RM1.45 trillion in 2014 compared with RM1.37 trillion in 2013. He said the continued uptrend was supported by...

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 (Bernama) — The six per cent growth rate to the gross domestic product (GDP) recorded by the Malaysian economy last year is still encouraging despite the uncertain world economy. International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the number was still positive and remained the highest compared with other Asean members. “With this growth, I am confident that Malaysia will continue to progress to be a high-income nation by 2020,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the launch of the Mid-Tier Companies Development Programme here today. Today, Bank Negara Malaysia reported GDP growth of six per cent for 2014 compared with 4.7 per cent a year ago. As for the fourth quarter, the central bank reported a higher growth of 5.8 per cent versus 5.6 per cent in the third quarter.