Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz held high-level discussions with senior leaders from Singapore and Indonesia aimed at bolstering economic ties among the three neighbouring nations.
In meetings with Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Tengku Zafrul emphasised the shared commitment to deepening economic cooperation in the region.
“Our main focus was to improve and deepen trilateral economic cooperation for our shared benefit,” he stated via his official X platform while currently on a working visit to Indonesia.
Tengku Zafrul is part of a ministerial delegation accompanying Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on his official visit to Indonesia. The delegation also includes Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Higher Education Minister Senator Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, Communications Minister Datuk Ahmad Fahmi Mohamed Fadzil and Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
Tengku Zafrul noted that the discussions were held within the context of growing geopolitical uncertainty, with ASEAN’s strategic role taking centre stage in navigating an increasingly complex geoeconomic environment.
Indonesia remained Malaysia’s sixth-largest global trading partner in 2024, and its second-largest within ASEAN. Bilateral trade between the two countries increased by 4.5 per cent to RM116.29 billion (US$25.5 billion), up from RM111.21 billion (US$24.39 billion) in 2023.
According to a statement from the Foreign Ministry on Thursday, Prime Minister Anwar’s visit is a reciprocal gesture following Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s official visit to Malaysia earlier this year. The itinerary includes bilateral meetings and participation in the 46th ASEAN Summit, the Second ASEAN-GCC Summit, and the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit, held from 26 to 27 May.
The visit also forms part of the preparatory framework for the upcoming 13th Annual Consultation between Malaysia and Indonesia, which is expected to take place later this year.
-Bernama
