KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 (Bernama) — In a move to promote Malaysian services, 30 companies with 56 representatives under five clusters will be participating at the inaugural Malaysia Services Exhibition (MSE) 2013 in Kazan, Tatarstan this month. The three-day event from Oct 3, organised by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade), is held in conjunction with the Euro-Asia Expo 2013, the largest international trade fair in Russia. In a statement Tuesday, Matrade said the participants under the franchise, construction and related services, logistics and freight forwarding, education and business services clusters, will showcase the expertise and capabilities of Malaysian services companies. “For example, exhibitors will promote the cafe business, hair salon, Islamic pawn broking, and childhood education, under the franchise cluster, while for the construction cluster, there will be urban planning, engineering and lighting, and waterproofing systems services,”...

KUALA LUMPUR: The International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) and its agency, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida), are negotiating potential investments worth RM44bil for 466 projects in manufacturing and manufacturing-related services. Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said that the projects included chemicals and chemical products, electrical and electronics, metal and metal alloy, as well as manufacturing-related services. “Malaysia remains a competitive investment location and continues to attract manufacturing projects with significant level of investments,” he said in a statement. Mustapa said despite intense global and regional competition for foreign direct investments (FDIs), Malaysia continued to attract multinational corporations and large companies to establish their regional and global operations in the country. He said this was reflected by the total 428 manufacturing projects with investments of RM28.3bil approved between January...

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,”...

JOHOR BAHRU, March 19 (Bernama) — The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) is confident of attracting RM8 billion in investments this year from foreign companies that will establish their regional operations in Malaysia. Director for Regional Establishment and Supply Chain Management Division, Roeslina Abbas is optimistic of achieving the KPI target, given Malaysia’s strong geographical position in the region and high purchasing power, as well as, its growing national economy. “The total regional operation investment in Malaysia is showing an upward trajectory and we are expecting some positive growth for this year. “Definitely we will gain more than what we have set. In fact, in the first two months of this year, we have secured about RM1 billion worth of projects,” she said after briefing reporters on MIDA’s Regional Establishment and Supply Chain Management here Wednesday. In 2013, the government agency secured RM12.2 billion in regional operation...

KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 (Bernama) — Malaysia is on course to achieve total trade growth of between five-six per cent in 2014, says International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed. He said broad recovery was seen in electrical and electronics exports while the trade surplus had become healthier in the first two months of 2014. “We have done well in the first two months. The performance has exceeded that of the same period last year,” he added. Mustapa was speaking to reporters after the launch of a book by former Deputy Prime Minister Tun Musa Hitam here Monday. The book, 21st Century Economics in the Muslim World, is a compilation of views on current economic issues of special interest to those following developments in the Muslim world. Malaysia’s trade in 2013 expanded by 4.6 per cent to RM1.36 trillion from RM1.309 trillion in 2012, boosted by a better export performance. The trade surplus last year amounted to RM70.63 billion. It was the 16th...

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...

Q1 2014 Approved Investments in the Manufacturing Sector Surpass Q1 2013 Record Eighty Five Per Cent of Jobs Created Are High Skilled Employment Malaysia successfully attracted a higher level of approved investments in the manufacturing sector in the first quarter (Q1) 2014 compared with the corresponding period of 2013. The country recorded RM17.1 billion of investments, an increase of 52.7% as compared with RM11.2 billion in the same period of 2013, reflecting its competitiveness as a location of choice for high value added manufacturing activities in the region. The manufacturing projects approved during the period are expected to generate about 18,677 job opportunities with major proportion of employment being in highly skilled occupations. It is encouraging to...

In response to various comments in the local media on 7 May 2014, about the steel industry, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) wishes to clarify and clear any misconception that the reports may have generated. In 2012, MITI commissioned the Boston Consulting Group to undertake a study of the industry in order to enable the Government to take a holistic approach to overcoming the challenges faced by the industry. The Government has implemented proposals derived from the study. The proposals include measures to further enhance the competitiveness of the upstream and downstream industry, support access to key inputs for the industry, enhance the capabilities of the steel industry, improve standards & importation processes and enhance trade remedies. A fundamental proposal was for the establishment of a Malaysian Steel...

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...