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...

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 (Bernama) — Total approved investments in the electrical and electronics (E&E) sector is expected to reach RM10 billion this year on the back of the resilient global economic outlook.

 

International Trade and Industry Minister, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said from January-July this year, approved investments in the E&E sector reached RM8.4 billion with 57 approved projects, surpassing the 2014 target of RM5.1 billion.

“Investments are encouraging this year compared with last year…this is a good sign that shows that our economy is expanding.

“The economic growth forecast of between 5.5 per cent and 6.0 per cent this year is very relevant given our exports and investments growth so far,” he said in a media briefing on the E&E sector here today.

Some of the high-impact projects approved include a diversification project in wafer fabrication involving an investment of RM3.2 billion and an expansion project estimated at RM1.5 billion for a high-end...

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.  

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 (Bernama) — The government has decided to impose a provisional safeguard duty of 23.93 per cent ad-valorem on imports of hot-rolled steel plate (HRP) with effect from Sunday for a period of 200 days. The Ministry of International TRADE and Industry (MITI), in a statement Friday, said the provisional safeguard duty was to reduce the effects of serious injury to the domestic industry caused by the surge in HRP imports. “The final determination under section 23 of the Safeguards Act 2006 will be made within 200 days from the application of the provisional safeguard measure,” it added. On Aug 18, the government initiated a safeguard investigation based on a petition filed by Ji Kang Dimensi Sdn Bhd on behalf of domestic HRP producers. The petitioner alleged that increased HRP imports from 2011 to 2013 had caused serious injury to the domestic industry. The government’s preliminary investigation under section 20 of the Safeguards Act 2006 found that...

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 17 (Bernama) — The government is expected to announce measures to further bolster the economy soon following the recent fall in the value of the ringgit, said International Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Datuk Hamim Samuri. Without elaborating on the measures to be taken, he said they are based on the economy’s still strong fundamentals as well as favourable investment trends and balance of payments. “The people should place their trust in the government and give space to the leaders based on our past experience,” he told reporters after the launch of the Perdasama Muda national committee here today. Earlier, he said the government has experience in handling the ringgit’s large depreciation during the 1997 financial crisis, which was aggravated by a massive outflow of short-term capital. However, he said, the situation this time around is different in that it has been caused by a fall in commodity prices. He also urged the people not to resort...

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti)is optimistic over Malaysia’s first quarter 2015 (1Q15) trade data amidst the uncertainty in current oil prices. Deputy‎ Minister (Trade) Datuk Lee Chee Leong said despite oil prices being expected to weaken further, the manufacturing and tourism segments are projected to support the 1Q15 data. “Judging from the trade figures for last year, it is still slightly better as compared to 2013. Although, the ringgit has depreciated at present, I expect the two segments to balance out our trade data. “But of course, it also depends on the global economic environment as well,” he told reporters after the launch of the Perdana University Master of International Trade (MIT) programme here, today. For the first quarter 2013, total trade stood at RM322.71 billion. Meanwhile, the MIT is a pioneering programme that will shape the study of international trade in the region. It is offered in collaboration with the...

DHAKA 13 Jan. – Malaysia dan Bangladesh sepakat untuk meneruskan rundingan Perjanjian Perdagangan Bebas (FTA) yang tertangguh sejak lima tahun lalu dalam usaha meningkat hubungan dagangan antara kedua-dua negara. Kesepakatan itu dicapai oleh Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed dalam pertemuan beliau dengan Menteri Perdagangan Bangladesh, Tofail Ahmed. Dalam pertemuan itu, Mustapa yang dalam misi pelaburan dan perdagangan ke negara ini turut disertai oleh Pesuruhjaya Tinggi Malaysia ke Bangladesh, Norlin Othman dan Timbalan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Matrade, Datuk Dzulkifli Mahmud. Mustapa berkata, kedua-dua belah pihak bersetuju supaya suruhanjaya bersama kedua-dua negara mengadakan perbincangan lanjut mengenai perkara tersebut di Kuala Lumpur pada Mac ini. “Kita telah memulakan rundingan lima tahun lalu berhubung kemungkinan mengadakan FTA antara Bangladesh dan Malaysia, namun tidak banyak kemajuan sejak beberapa tahun...

“I’m Mustapa Mohamed. I am the Minister of International Trade and Industry. Welcome to Malaysia.” Demikian kata Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri di atas pentas dalam khemah berbentuk ‘dome’ yang dipasang khas di belakang Panaroma Hotel, di Davos, Switzerland, malam Sabtu lalu.

 

Beliau menggantikan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak untuk mengalu-alukan tetamu ke Malam Malaysia yang dianjurkan untuk 3,000 peserta Forum Ekonomi Dunia (WEF) itu.

Tengah hari sebelum acara itu, Najib bergegas ke Riyadh, Arab Saudi untuk menghadiri pengebumian Raja Abdullah Abdul Aziz Al Saud dan Mustapa terpaksa mengambil alih tugas Perdana Menteri.

Mustapa tidak kelihatan janggal dan kira-kira 500 tetamu memberikan tumpuan kepada kata-kata aluannya dengan sesekali mencuit hati mereka.

Keseluruhan yang hadir pada malam itu ialah 1,500 orang yang datang secara silih berganti, mengatasi rekod kehadiran 1,000 orang ketika WEF 2013.

Penulis yang turut berada di Davos pada...