PM Anwar: Germany picks Malaysia as export and trade hub amid US-China tensions
KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 — Germany has chosen Malaysia as its export and trade hub apart from China.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said this is part of Germany’s derisk policy, a method it adopted to reduce the risk of depending only on one country, such as China.
“So this has helped us, because in these few months, there has been a spike in visits from foreign trade ministers received by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI), in this week alone two to three ministers are here to expedite their Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU) ... that’s the situation.
“At the same time, we are still getting offers from Arab states for example Arab Saudi, UAE (United Arab Emirates) and Qatar, whereby previously their investment rate was at a lower level. The increase in investment, from Saudi and UAE has increased many folds,” Anwar told the Parliament during the Prime Minister’s Question Time today.
He was responding to a question by PKR’s Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah who asked if Malaysia is impacted by the US and China trade war or if Malaysia can take advantage of this situation.
Anwar said that the high level of investment is the reason why Malaysia requires advance training in mathematics, science, TVET (technical and vocational education and training) engineering and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for employees.
“Our weakness is in these areas. We can make it happen (support investments) if we place full focus and additional allocation on these,” he said adding that Malaysia can secure this as a result of its political stability and a clear Madani economy policy.
He said with clear policies, investors whether domestic or foreign, when they come to Malaysia, they want to see these aspects — whether or not Malaysia has a clear industrial plan.
On the impact of the US and China trade war, Anwar admitted that there was a slight impact on countries that depend on these two countries as export countries, including Malaysia.
Earlier this month, during Anwar’s visit to Berlin, Germany, he had invited more Germans to take advantage of Malaysia’s strategic location in Southeast Asia and its developed infrastructure as a preferred investment destination.
Among others, Anwar had cited Infineon Technologies AG, one of Germany’s leading companies that has chosen Malaysia as their important hub.
