14 Jul 2011

Consider Malaysia, Najib urges UK firms


LONDON, July 13 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak kicked off his first official visit to the United Kingdom today with a roundtable meeting involving captains of industry, during which he spoke about investment opportunities in Malaysia.National news agency Bernama quoted the prime minister as saying he is determined to ensure that the country remains a profitable destination for foreign companies.Najib said that there are numerous projects that UK companies, in partnership with Malaysian firms, could explore, particularly in diverse fields such as business services, education, healthcare, electrical and electronics, green technology and information and communications technology as well as halal products and services, and Islamic finance.
 
He added that the government hopes to attract wider UK investment with an emphasis on high-technology, value-added and knowledge-based activities — likely as part of the New Economic Model, Economic Transformation Programme and the 10th Malaysia Plan.Najib also touted Malaysia as a viable investment destination, saying the vibrant business environment and well-developed industry structure, together with existing infrastructure, would be constantly enhanced to ensure the country remains a competitive consideration for foreign investors.

He said that foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into Malaysia had increased by more than 540 per cent to US$9 billion (RM27 billion) in 2010 compared with US$1.4 billion the previous year.
The prime minister also said that at the end of 2010, the UK was the 11th largest source of FDI in Malaysia with US$1.7 billion worth of investments in 394 manufacturing projects.This also resulted in the UK becoming Malaysia’s 18th largest trading partner.

Najib also emphasised that Malaysia had achieved strong growth of 7.2 per cent in 2010 after a contraction of 1.7 per cent in 2009, making it the highest growth achieved since 2000.He added that he was optimistic the Malaysian economy would grow by between five and six per cent this year.Najib, who is also Finance Minister, highlighted that the ringgit had strengthened by about 12 per cent since 2010 and that high commodity prices had been coupled with strong domestic demand.

Source : http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/explore-opportunities-in-malaysia-najib-urges-uk-firms/

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