logo
Tengku Zafrul: Malaysia makes trade concessions to US to keep exports flowing, protect 100,000 jobs

Tengku Zafrul: Malaysia makes trade concessions to US to keep exports flowing, protect 100,000 jobs

Malay Maila day ago
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 — Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said Malaysia has agreed to a series of trade concessions in response to demands from the United States (US) to safeguard the country's export-driven economy and protect local jobs.
He explained that the United States remains Malaysia's largest export destination, with exports reaching RM198.65 billion in 2024, and is also a major source of foreign investment, contributing RM32.82 billion to date.
'..... Any changes in US trade policy cannot be taken lightly, as they could have a negative impact on Malaysia's economy.
'For example, it is estimated that up to 100,000 workers, particularly in Penang and Kedah, could be at risk of losing their jobs if electrical and electronic products can no longer be exported to the US due to high tariffs,' he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
MORE TO COME
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Southeast Asia Youth Join Global Innovation Movement at Xiamen University Malaysia
Southeast Asia Youth Join Global Innovation Movement at Xiamen University Malaysia

The Sun

time41 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Southeast Asia Youth Join Global Innovation Movement at Xiamen University Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 5 August 2025 - The final competition and award ceremony of the Southeast Asia Division Contest of China International College Students' Innovation Competition (SEA-CICSIC) 2025 and Malaysia-China Youth Innovation Competition (MCYIC) 2025 concluded successfully at Xiamen University Malaysia on 20 July 2025, bringing together young innovators from all over the Southeast Asia region to present and compete with their innovation ideas and projects. With the Ministry of Education of China as the main organiser and Xiamen University China and Xiamen University Malaysia as co-organisers, the competition attracted over 1,200 students from 10 Southeast Asian countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam), with projects covering topics such as sustainable technology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and social entrepreneurship. Ultimately, 50 teams from 7 countries received awards, including 10 First Prize Awards, 15 Second Prize Awards, and 25 Third Prize Awards. These winning teams represented Xiamen University Malaysia, University of Malaya, Sampoerna University, the National University of Singapore, Cambodia University of Technology and Science (CamTech), and various universities across the region. The outstanding projects will be recommended for participation in the 2025 China International College Students' Innovation Competition finals. Minister-Counsellor Chen Youliang from the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Malaysia attended the ceremony and presented the awards. Ms. Sun Yan, Executive President of the Promotion Association for Global Youth Innovation Leaders Community, noted that this was the first time a cross-regional sub-competition of the China International College Students' Innovation Competition was held. She emphasized that this marks a new chapter for the event and addresses the pressing need for enhanced regional collaboration. Associate Professor Zhang Ying, Vice President of Xiamen University Malaysia, stated that the university has long been committed to fostering students' innovation abilities, and hopes that this event will strengthen people-to-people friendship between China and Southeast Asia, while promoting economic exchange with Southeast Asian countries. Mr. Li Cheng, Deputy Director of the Academic Affairs Office at Xiamen University (China), delivered a speech on behalf of the university top management, emphasizing that the main campus and Malaysia campus will continue to deepen educational cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, promote science, technology, and talent exchange, and cultivate globally minded and innovative talent. The China International College Students' Innovation Competition is one of the world's largest student innovation and entrepreneurship competitions. Since its inception in 2015, the competition has attracted millions of teams and tens of millions of participants from thousands of universities in over 100 countries spanning five continents. The China–Malaysia Youth Innovation Competition, first launched in 2019, has now completed four successful editions. The event continues to garner strong participation from Malaysian students and has produced a number of notable outcomes. The launching ceremony of this year's competition took place on 25 April 2025, and was attended by Mr. Zheng Xuefang, Minister of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia; Dato' Abdul Majid Ahmad Khan, President of the Malaysia-China Friendship Association; Professor Li Cheng, Deputy Director of Academic Affairs at Xiamen University; and Mr. Zhu Lei, Executive President of the Global Youth Innovation Leadership Community Association.

Malaysia to roll out regulatory reforms, other measures following US tariff deal
Malaysia to roll out regulatory reforms, other measures following US tariff deal

New Straits Times

time41 minutes ago

  • New Straits Times

Malaysia to roll out regulatory reforms, other measures following US tariff deal

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will roll out three key follow-up actions — an exporter outreach programme, regulatory reform and a nationwide supply chain mapping initiative — following the recent tariff renegotiation agreement with the United States which reduced tariffs on Malaysian goods from 25 per cent to 19 per cent. Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said the agreement, effective Aug 1, was achieved after "months of intense but thorough as well as methodical negotiations". "Most importantly, we achieved this without conceding on our red lines in key areas," he said in his keynote address at The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Awards 2025 here today. Tengku Zafrul said those red lines included foreign equity limits in strategic sectors, legal safeguards in digital companies, halal standards and many other areas. But the key point, he added, is that the negotiation package was a all-of-nation offer, not just the government, but all (Malaysians and Malaysian companies). With the tariff deal in effect, Tengku Zafrul said the government is focusing on three key areas, starting with an outreach programme to support industry players and exporters. "Some of you in this room may be impacted, but again we will engage the whole exporters' ecosystem — not just the multinationals, but all the small and medium enterprises that are supporting the major exporters," he said. Secondly, he said the government aims to accelerate industrial reforms by cutting bureaucracy and reviewing regulations to eliminate overlaps, outdated provisions and irrelevant processes. "Thirdly, we need to strengthen the resilience of our supply chain by fortifying specific industries' role in the global supply chain," he said. Tengku Zafrul said Malaysia is making good progress on a supply chain mapping project, which aims to identify every player involved in the economic activities of key industrial sectors. Meanwhile, he said Malaysia's mid-cap companies — defined as listed companies with a market capitalisation of between RM100 million and RM1 billion — remain critical to the country's growth ambition under the New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP) 2030. "For me and for our ministry, we view this award such as Centurion as one of the private sector's contributions to Malaysia's journey towards becoming a high-income, sustainable and globally competitive nation. "As of March 31, there are 519 such Centurions. And this speaks volumes about the vibrancy of Malaysia's mid-cap sector — a sector that is equally critical to our national economic aspirations," he said.

Glovemaker's subsidiary gets RM101mil additional tax bill
Glovemaker's subsidiary gets RM101mil additional tax bill

Free Malaysia Today

time44 minutes ago

  • Free Malaysia Today

Glovemaker's subsidiary gets RM101mil additional tax bill

Hartalega Holdings Bhd said further announcements would be made as and when there are material developments. (File pic) KUALA LUMPUR : Hartalega Holdings Bhd's wholly-owned subsidiary, Hartalega NGC Sdn Bhd, has received a notice of additional assessment amounting to RM101.36 million from the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) for the assessment years 2017 to 2022. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, Hartalega said the notice received on Aug 4 involved additional tax assessments of RM13.92 million for 2017, RM36.35 million for 2018, RM10,695 for 2019, RM32.89 million for 2020, RM18.10 million for 2021 and RM90,625 for 2022. 'The company is currently seeking legal advice and evaluating its legal options, which may include initiating a formal appeal to the LHDN,' Hartalega said. It added that further announcements would be made as and when there are material developments.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store