KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has visited a total of 31 countries between November 2022 and February 2025, says Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) stated that the Prime Minister and his government delegation have travelled to nations including the United States, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, India, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Germany, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, South Korea, Egypt, Pakistan, Peru, Qatar, Russia, Laos, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
“The Prime Minister’s official visits abroad are crucial in demonstrating Malaysia’s commitment to strengthening diplomatic relations and expanding bilateral cooperation with these countries.
"Additionally, the primary objective of these visits is to attract potential investors to Malaysia, thereby boosting the national economy and creating more job opportunities for local citizens,” she said in a written reply to a question from Tan Kok Wai (PH-Cheras).
Tan had requested a detailed account of each of the Prime Minister’s official visits abroad from December 2022 to February 2025, including their economic, political, and national security impact.
Dr Zaliha highlighted that the visits also serve to promote key government policies, such as the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) and the New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP) 2030.
“The implementation of these policies is expected to attract more foreign investors in key sectors, such as semiconductor equipment manufacturing and integrated circuit design, further strengthening Malaysia’s position as a competitive player in the global industrial sector and stimulating economic growth,” she explained.
In 2024, the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (MITI), along with the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) and the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade), conducted 16 Trade and Investment Missions (TIMs), including 15 official visits led by the Prime Minister to countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Australia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Japan, India, Singapore, Thailand, Pakistan, China, Egypt, Peru, Brazil, and South Korea.
As a result, Malaysia secured a total of RM115.56bil in potential investments through these TIMs and official visits.
Dr Zaliha said that RM37.6bil worth of investments were approved in 2024, with an additional RM17.9bil expected to be finalised in 2025.
“Key investment commitments from the 2024 TIMs were primarily in the electrical and electronics (semiconductors), chemical (petrochemical and chemical products), and digital economy (data centres) industries,” she said.
Bilateral discussions were also held with neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore, particularly on border demarcation issues, to ensure mutual understanding and agreements that uphold Malaysia’s sovereignty, she added.
“Topics discussed included security cooperation and countering threats such as smuggling, terrorism, and transnational crime.
“Apart from that, the government is prioritising defence cooperation to enhance regional security preparedness.
“These official visits have also provided a platform for Malaysia to voice its stance and participate in discussions on international issues, particularly humanitarian crises.
“Malaysia has consistently called for adherence to international law, especially concerning the Palestine issue and the Rohingya crisis,” Dr Zaliha explained.
