Newly minted Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Tengku Zafrul completed his first stint at the World Economic Forum in Davos where he took on the massive task of promoting Malaysia as an investment destination and potentially drawing FDI from among the wealthiest nations that congregate once a year at the summit.
The annual meeting, themed “Cooperation in a Fragmented World,” brought together 2,700 leaders from 130 countries, including 52 heads of state and government, as well as representatives from the private sector and civil society to address the state of the world and top priorities for the year ahead to improve global economic conditions.
At this high-profile gathering, the Minister emphasised Malaysia’s commitment to improve the ease of doing business, maintain a pro-business policy and attract more high-value investments, while also positioning Malaysia as a gateway into Southeast Asia.
Tengku Zafrul was a panelist at a few official WEF sessions including “Living with Risk” and the “Governors Policy Meeting on Supply Chain & Transport”. He was also part of a CNBC Panel Session entitled “Global Trade: Navigating the Post-Pandemic Supply Chain Challenge”, which also included His Hon. Ville Skinnari, Finland’s Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, as a panelist.
WEF served as an expeditious platform for the Minister to meet his counterparts, including His Hon. Ahn Duk-geun, Minister for Trade Korea; His Hon. Damien O’Connor, Minister for Trade and Export Growth, New Zealand; His Hon. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, United Arab Emirates; Liesje Schreinemacher, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Netherlands; as well as His Hon. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment Affairs and His Hon. Bahlil Lahadalia, Minister of Investment, Indonesia; to discuss trade issues including strengthening economic partnership between Malaysia and their countries.
Zafrul also met with several key representatives from multinational companies such as Intel Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, P&G, Honeywell, Amazon Web Services, Ericsson, Port of Antwerp, AstraZeneca and Estee Lauder where they exchanged views and insights on ways to strengthen existing business and investment relations as well as exploring further opportunities in Malaysia.
The Malaysian delegation, promoted the government’s initiatives to attract quality and sustainable investments, as well as exchanged views and perspectives with the leaders of other countries and participants.
