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...

MISI pelaburan dan perdagangan Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed ke Bangladesh dan India selama enam hari bermula hari ini, bakal mengukuhkan lagi hubungan erat antara Malaysia, Bangladesh dan India. Misi kali ini tertumpu kepada sektor-sektor atau peluang-peluang baharu yang boleh diterokai oleh pelabur Malaysia di negara terbabit, selain usaha menarik khususnya syarikat-syarikat India melabur atau menanam modal di Malaysia. Bagi Malaysia, India dengan penduduk seramai 1.22 bilion orang pada tahun 2013, dan Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar (GDP) sebanyak AS$1.758 trilion (RM6.261 trilion) serta perkapita AS$4,000 (RM14,246), merupakan rakan dagang yang penting. Sejak tahun 1998, India merupakan pasaran eksport terbesar negara di rantau Asia Selatan. India juga merupakan rakan dagangan ke-10 terbesar Malaysia, destinasi eksport ke-10 terbesar dan sumber import ke-12 terbesar. Pada 2013, jumlah dagangan antara Malaysia-India bernilai AS$13.38...

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...

NEW DELHI, Jan 14 (Bernama) — Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed is leading a three-day trade and investment mission to India starting on Wednesday and is scheduled to participate at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Partnership Summit 2015. The minister is set to have several business meetings with potential investors from India as well as Malaysian businesses that already have an establishment here. Mustapa will deliver a special address at a seminar entitled “India-Malaysia Trade and Economic Cooperation in the Context of Indian Economy Dynamism and India’s Act East Policy” in New Delhi organised by Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS). RIS is a think-tank under India’s Ministry of External Affairs envisioned as a forum for fostering effective policy dialogue and capacity-building among developing countries on international economic issues. The focus of the work programme of RIS is to promote...

“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...

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: Projek pembangunan pelabuhan Tok Bali di Pasir Puteh, Kelantan dijangka bakal menarik pelaburan sehingga RM1 bilion dalam tempoh tiga tahun. Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri (MITI), Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed berkata, MITI sudah meluluskan projek terbabit pada 7 Januari 2015. Katanya, setakat ini terdapat kira-kira 100 syarikat yang berpotensi untuk melabur dalam projek berkenaan dan projek itu dijangka akan memberi manfaat kepada kawasan sekitarnya dan juga Kelantan secara keseluruhannya. “Tok Bali mempunyai potensi besar sebagai pangkalan untuk menyediakan perkhidmatan berkenaan kerana lokasinya strategik berikutan jaraknya ke Kawasan Pembangunan Bersama Malaysia-Thailand (MTJDA). “Tok Bali Supply Base Sdn Bhd (TBSB), pengendali pelabuhan terbabit sudah melabur sebanyak RM90 juta tahun lalu dan tahun ini dianggarkan RM100 juta akan dibelanjakan untuk pembangunan projek itu,” katanya pada sidang media di sini, semalam. Mustapa berkata, TBSB...