The inaugural Malaysia Strategic Trade Summit (MySTS) 2023 marks an important milestone for Malaysia, further signalling Malaysia’s commitment to fulfil our international security obligations to prevent the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (UNSCR 1540).
Officiated by Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry (MITI) Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Aziz in Kuala Lumpur recently, MySTS 2023 is also strongly supported by national stakeholders to a point where Malaysia has been implementing a robust Strategic Trade Managements (STM) ecosystem for over a decade, through the Strategic Trade Act of 2010 (STA 2010).
Implementation of the STA 2010 is integral to MITI’s efforts to advance trade, investment, and industrial growth in Malaysia, encapsulated via a well-balanced agenda of economic development and security.
Throughout the Summit, pragmatic programmes relevant to the implementation of the STM were held namely the Industry Outreach on Strategic Trade (IOST); the 2nd Annual Women in Strategic Trade Forum (WiST); and the 3rd Southeast Asia Forum on Export Control (SEAFEC). Strategic objectives of these programme were to:
(i) educate the business community and industry on sustainability and security in supply chain management as well as promoting government outreach and knowledge of non-proliferation efforts;
(ii) encourage women empowerment in STM through capacity building, awareness on career growth and exchange of best practices; and
(iii) promote regional dialogue on STM harmonisation in ASEAN countries through discussion on export controls, legal frameworks as well as transit and transhipment challenges, with an aim to develop an ASEAN-wide policy for regional trade security.
In recognising the role of prominent women professionals in Malaysia in spearheading STM efforts, the first Women in Strategic Trade (WiST) Honours Pioneer Award Ceremony was also held in conjunction with MySTS. The Awards were presented in four categories namely Lifetime Achievement, Government, Academia, and Industry. Such recognition is expected to encourage more women to contribute to management of strategic trade in various capacities including leadership roles and technical expertise.
In his speech, Tengku Zafrul highlighted the establishment of the Malaysia Strategic Trade Control Community (MYSTCC) as a timely public-private partnership initiative on STM. This initiative which was co-founded by MITI, links the corporate community with STM experts and professionals.
MYSTCC is an industry driven entity that provides training and policy input on strategic trade compliance and governance, to assist MITI and partner agencies in the implementation of STA 2010.
The MySTS 2023 was organised by the Strategic Trade Secretariat (STS) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of State’s Export Control and Related Border Security Program (EXBS) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.
The Summit is expected to draw more than 600 local and foreign participants from business, academia, government, and industry organisations.
