Pakistan has expressed its intention to strengthen long-term relations with Malaysia through expanded cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture and emerging technologies, aiming for shared economic growth and sustainable development.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad wishes to benefit from Malaysia’s experience in information technology, artificial intelligence and vocational training while offering its own expertise to support joint projects that would bring tangible benefits to both nations.
“Today I want to state openly that Pakistan wants to join hands with Malaysia, not only to benefit from your experience but also to develop joint ventures and projects that will be mutually beneficial,” he said at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim following a bilateral meeting.
The discussions between both leaders covered trade facilitation, investment promotion and people-to-people exchanges. Shehbaz said Malaysia’s strong economic performance under Anwar’s MADANI vision, with its emphasis on innovation, technology and sustainable growth, serves as an inspiration to developing nations such as Pakistan.
“Malaysia’s GDP is growing at an impressive rate. Your global trade has increased, you have a positive trade surplus, and exports are expanding. These are areas where Pakistan can benefit from Malaysia’s experience,” he said.
Shehbaz added that Pakistan is ready to work closely with Malaysia in sectors where both countries share competitive advantages, including agriculture, food processing, information technology and technical and vocational education and training.
“Agriculture is one of the areas, information technology is another, and of course vocational and technical training where Pakistan has also shown very good performance. We have thousands of students in Malaysia and about 150,000 Pakistanis contributing to this country’s development,” he said.
The Pakistani leader also expressed appreciation to Malaysia for allocating a US$200 million import quota for meat from Pakistan, describing it as a significant step towards enhancing halal trade and expanding market opportunities for Pakistani exporters.
“I am very grateful for this announcement, but I would like to emphasise that this quota will be regulated based on market pricing mechanisms and in full compliance with Malaysia’s halal certification requirements. We will make every effort to meet all conditions,” he said.
“With Allah’s permission, we will not only reach the US$200 million quota but increase it further as consumer satisfaction grows — because once trust is built, there are no limits to trade potential,” he added.
Shehbaz is on a three-day official visit to Malaysia at Anwar’s invitation, marking a return visit following the Malaysian leader’s trip to Pakistan in October 2024. The visit underscores the strengthening bilateral relationship between the two nations.
Malaysia and Pakistan elevated their ties to a Strategic Partnership in March 2019. Both countries, which established diplomatic relations in 1957, recorded total trade of RM8.07 billion (US$1.76 billion) in 2024, a 25.5% increase from the previous year. Malaysia’s key exports to Pakistan include palm oil, petroleum products and chemicals, while imports from Pakistan comprise agricultural goods, textiles, garments, footwear and petroleum products.
