Fruitful talks: Anwar kicking off the third day of his working visit to Shanghai by engaging in a high-level dialogue with Chinese investors organised by Khazanah Nasional Bhd. — Bernama
SHANGHAI: Chinese investors and companies are showing greater interest in Malaysia, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister made this observation after a full day of engagement with potential investors.
“This is a very positive development. I am seeing rising enthusiasm and interest (shown by investors and companies from China),” he said.
Speaking to the Malaysian media after a roundtable session with over 24 Chinese industry leaders, he said discussions involved wide ranging issues and national policies, including on regulations and investment.
On potential investments secured during this visit, Anwar replied: “We will announce the amount tomorrow (today).”
The Prime Minister started the day by attending a dialogue session with Chinese investors organised by Khazanah Nasional Bhd.
“It has been exhausting as there have been back-to-back meetings since morning but I think this is beneficial,” he said.
Separately, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said Anwar had engaged in several productive discussions with Chinese investors on the third day of his working visit to Shanghai, China.
The investors include Chengwei Capital, a prominent venture capital firm with proprietary global semi-conductor expertise and resources.
The Prime Minister also met officials from NRL Capital, whose founders have played instrumental roles in the successful development of high-tech industrial clusters in China.
PMO said discussions anchored on Malaysia’s centrality and its attractiveness as an investment destination given its talented workforce and supportive government policies.
It said the Prime Minister also discussed potential collaborations with these investors with regard to investing in technology and innovation in Malaysia.
“They will look at collaborating with Khazanah in building next generation Malaysian companies to further boost the country’s prominence in global supply chains, particularly in high technology sectors.
“This will drive the Madani economy vision of fostering innovation and making technology more accessible and inclusive to all,” PMO said in a statement, Bernama reported.
Besides attending the dialogue and roundtable sessions, the Prime Minister also met with several companies in one-to-one business meetings.
They comprised representatives from the Bank of China, SinoChem, SICC Co Ltd, SEMCORP and Zhejiang Jiahua Energy Chemical Industry Co Ltd.
For 15 consecutive years since 2009, China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner. In 2023, total trade with China was valued at RM450.84bil, contributing to 17.1% of Malaysia’s global trade. As of September 2024, the recorded total trade was RM355.15bil.
Meanwhile, Anwar, who has arrived in Beijing, will call on President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People today.
The Prime Minister is scheduled deliver a talk entitled “Bridging Futures: Strengthening Malaysia-China Relations and Asean Centrality in a Shifting Global Order” at Peking University.
He will also be visiting the Huawei Executive Briefing Centre and meet with the Malaysian diaspora before leaving for Kuala Lumpur.
This trip marks Anwar’s third visit to China as Prime Minister, after his maiden visit in March 2023 that was followed by another in September the same year.
