PUTRAJAYA: The recent purchase of Boeing aircraft by Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) is a corporate decision, says Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz (pic).
"The purchase of the aircraft was a strategic business decision by MAG and was financed using company funds and not the people's tax money," said the Investment, Trade and Industry Minister.
He added in a post on X that the plan to purchase the Boeing aircraft was announced as early as March 2025, well before US President Donald Trump's announcement of elevated tariffs on Malaysian goods.
Tengku Zafrul then said that Malaysia’s strategy in highlighting major corporate purchases from the United States - including the Boeing order - played a role in ongoing tariff negotiations with Washington.
"These purchases helped demonstrate that Malaysia is also a significant buyer of US products, not merely an exporter. We are not buying just because we want to reduce tariffs,” he said.
"This approach showed the US that we were also a big buyer of their products, and ultimately convinced them to lower our export tariffs from 25% to 19%," added Tengku Zafrul.
He hailed the outcome as a result of "careful consultation" that preserved both national and corporate interests.
