KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — Malaysia and France have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral economic cooperation, with both countries exploring greater collaboration in strategic sectors including rare earths, semiconductors, aerospace, artificial intelligence (AI) and clean energy.
The discussions took place during a courtesy meeting between Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Johari Abdul Ghani and France’s Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness, Nicolas Forissier, at the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. Also present was French Ambassador to Malaysia Marc Abensour.
In a statement, MITI said the meeting focused on strengthening bilateral relations in trade, investment and cooperation across strategic industries.
Both ministers welcomed the progress of negotiations on the Malaysia-European Union Free Trade Agreement (MEUFTA) and exchanged views on expanding collaboration in high-value sectors, including rare earth and critical minerals development, aerospace, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, innovation, AI and quantum technologies, clean energy and other high-technology industries.
The two sides also underscored the importance of promoting an open, transparent and rules-based multilateral trading system while enhancing resilient global supply chains through closer cooperation among like-minded countries.
Following the bilateral meeting, Johari held an engagement session with representatives from 22 French companies operating in Malaysia, as well as firms interested in exploring new opportunities in investment, technology transfer, innovation and high-value industrial collaboration.
MITI said the engagements reflected the continued commitment of Malaysia and France to strengthen economic ties for mutual prosperity.
France is Malaysia’s fourth-largest trading partner among European Union member states. Bilateral trade is projected to increase by 11.4 per cent to RM17.77 billion by 2025, reflecting the strong momentum in economic relations between the two countries.
— MINUTESMY
— Kementerian Pelaburan, Perdagangan dan Industri, Malaysia
