KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's official and working visits to several countries successfully generated potential investment values of RM77.58bil from January to May 2024, says Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) revealed that the Prime Minister had been involved in 31 official and working visits to 19 countries from November 2022 until May 2024.
Among the countries visited by the Prime Minister and his delegation were Saudi Arabia, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Germany, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Egypt, Laos, China, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Qatar.
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"The official visits of the Prime Minister to several foreign countries have also successfully generated potential investment values of RM353.6bil in 2023 and RM77.58bil from January to May 2024," he said in reply to a question Muhammad Fawwaz Mohamad Jan (PN-Permatang Pauh).
Muhammad Fawaz had asked the government to reveal the full details of the Prime Minister's official or unofficial visits abroad from 2022 to the present.
He also wanted to know the amount of investment successfully brought into the country as a result of each of these visits.
Dr Zaliha explained that these visits included attending scheduled conferences and international meetings also attended by world leaders.
"The missions and purposes of the Prime Minister's official and working visits include convincing potential investors to invest in the country, strengthening, deepening, and expanding bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and these countries, and fostering a deeper understanding between both nations," she said.
She also noted that the purpose of such visits was to strengthen and enhance diplomatic relations and cooperation with the involved countries, positioning Malaysia as a country that practises transparent and open economic principles.
"For example, the diplomatic relations and close cooperation between Malaysia and China, which now reach 50 years, have been manifested through the signing of various memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and agreements in various economic sectors, which will have positive effects and impacts on the country's economic development," said the minister.