Perbadanan Pembangunan Perdagangan Luar Malaysia

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2016, KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), an agency under Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), as one of the organisers of Malaysia Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015 emphasised that the photo removal of Prime Minister Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak had never taken place, as claimed by the former Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in a video published online recently.

All the parties involved in organising the Malaysia Pavilion have confirmed that the claim on the alleged photo removal made by Tan Sri Muhyiddin was unfounded. We regret the attempt to undermine the professionalism and competence of officials involved in the management of the Expo.

The Expo Milano, led by MITI, took place from 1 May to 31 October 2015. The Malaysia Pavilion was set up to showcase Malaysia to an international audience, with a special emphasis on Malaysia's sustainable development and biodiversity. Malaysia's participation was an embodiment of the National Blue Ocean Strategy as it involved a concerted effort by various Ministries, Agencies, State Governments, Private Sectors and the public.

The management and operations of the Malaysia Pavilion during the Expo was carried out by representatives from MITI assisted by government agencies namely MATRADE, Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), Ministry of Plantation Industry and Commodities (MPIC), Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC) as well as staffs from relevant bodies.

The participation in the universal exposition last year was Malaysia's 8th participation and the event was themed as "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life". The event was a platform to promote Malaysia's capabilities in various products and services with an aim to boost Malaysia's trade, investment and tourism. Malaysia's Pavilion was designed along the theme to reflect Malaysia's move towards sustainability and inclusiveness by focusing on various efforts under the Economic Transformation Programme's National Key Economic Areas especially in agriculture, palm oil and rubber sector, tourism as well as business services.

The results of Malaysia's participation in the Expo over the six months period were encouraging with 3.1 million visitors (1 out of 7 or 14 percent visitors from the total 22.5 million people at Expo Milano) received at the Malaysia Pavilion, 183 Malaysian companies featured, EURO 960,000 generated through food sales, 4,416 enquiries on palm oil entertained and 11 trade and investment activities organised, among many others.

The Malaysia Pavilion was one of the most visited pavilions at the Expo with visitors and Expo Officials acknowledging the Pavilion's unique structure and the hospitality shown by the Malaysian officers at the event. The Pavilion, which design was inspired by the rainforest seeds, was hugely publicised by the Italian media and a survey by an Italian mainstream newspaper, Corriere della Sera, voted Malaysia as one of the top three countries visited by the Expo visitors.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016, KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) is supporting Global Entrepreneurship Community (GEC) 2016 Conference by participating in its Lifestyle Cluster through its industry-specific lab sessions and a mini pavilion.

The event that starts today until 9 December 2016 at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre is organised by Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC), an agency under the Ministry of Finance (MOF). Other than Lifestyle, other clusters include Finance, Supply Chain, Biotech, Green Tech & Smart Cities, Education, Creative, Healthcare and Social Innovation.

At the event, MATRADE's has been given the task to lead the GEC's Lifestyle lab where the agency will be conducting discussions with entrepreneurs, startups and industry experts in finding solutions and initiatives to improve the business ecosystem for Malaysian lifestyle sector. At the invite-only Lifestyle cluster lab, the industry players discussed challenges in gaining investment, maximising companies' capacity as well as the importance of market intelligence.

According to Mr Abu Bakar Yusof, MATRADE's lifestyle sector director, MATRADE is honoured that it has been chosen as the main agency to drive the development of local lifestyle sector through direct engagement with entrepreneurs especially startups at the event. "Through the labs we get to share with the industry players the latest trends in the sector and how they can leverage on creative thinking to be innovative in pushing their brands abroad. The labs have provided a platform for the entrepreneurs to compare notes and seek valuable advice from the experts on strategies to improve their business performance locally and internationally. MATRADE as Malaysia's export promotion agency is there to support local players when it comes to their global ventures," Mr Abu Bakar said.

Apart from the labs, MATRADE is also featuring five Malaysian brands through a mini pavilion at the GEC. The entrepreneurs involved at the pavilion included Fiziwoo, Galeri Muo, Arcabudaya, Nelissa Hilman & SEM Pai Wellness and the products showcased were apparels, fashion accessories, beauty care, health and wellness as well as art. "We would like to thank MaGIC for collaborating with us and for pushing the development Malaysian entrepreneurs, especially the young business community, who plays a vital role in driving the Malaysian economy," Mr Abu Bakar mentioned.

Malaysian Lifestyle sector, which comprises sub categories such as textiles, apparels, footwear, furniture, jewellery, cosmetics and toiletries, among others, is a main contributor to the Malaysian economy. In 2015, Malaysia's exports of fashion and lifestyle products recorded a value of RM36.91 billion, an increase of 13.2 percent as compared to RM32.61 billion in 2014.

This year, MATRADE organised 160 programmes for Malaysian companies particularly for the Small and Medium Enterprises to help them venture into global business. One of its signature initiatives for the lifestyle sector is Malaysia Fashion Week 2016, a project of INTRADE. Introduced in 2014, the event aims to boost the development of Malaysian fashion & lifestyle industry and to elevate Malaysia's status as a major fashion hub in ASEAN and beyond.

The GEC 2016 aims to connect global entrepreneurs with local ecosystem players in facilitating the exchange of new ideas, discussing insights on economic outlook, trends and to create actionable recommendation strategy in order to advance local champion go overseas.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2016, KUALA LUMPUR: The National Export Council (NEC) laid out several strategies to ramp up the performance of priority services sectors namely construction, Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), education services and tourism. This followed discussions at the fourth and last NEC meeting for 2016 held today.

The strategies include increasing the utilisation of Malaysian construction services in international projects through strategic partnerships between local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Multinational Companies (MNCs); driving the exports of ICT Services, ICT Content and Media; enhancing brand visibility of Malaysian education services overseas as well as increasing tourist arrivals.

The strategies are aimed at addressing the deficit registered by Malaysian services sectors since 2010 and are in line with the Services Sector Blueprint launched last year. The recommendations agreed by the NEC are also consistent with the 11th Malaysia Plan (RMK 11), which targeted an increase in export revenue of services sector by more than 40 percent from RM135 billion recorded in 2015 to RM195 billion.

The services sector, which accounts for about 53.9 percent of Malaysia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), remains a key driver of growth for the Malaysian economy. The contribution of services to GDP is on an increasing trend and by 2020 the contribution of services is targeted to reach 58 percent.

For the construction sector, the meeting discussed strategies to accelerate exports and reduce imports by nurturing local contractors to be more competitive globally, pushing for more Malaysian professional services abroad and forming consortia in winning overseas projects. The Council also emphasised the need for contractors and developers to utilise Malaysian content (products and services) in their local and international projects. In enhancing the profile of Malaysian players in the construction sector, initiatives such as Malaysia Inc. and Large Corporation-SME Partnership Programme will assume a key role to support the industry through close and consistent engagement with relevant stakeholders.

Focus is placed on the exports of ICT Services, ICT Content and Media as both sectors are forecasted to grow by 30 percent by 2019 in ASEAN. The sectors are set to grow at 10.6 percent annually, to reach an export value of RM47.5 billion in 2020. In improving market access, ongoing programmes such as engagement with strategic partners, market immersion and funding facilities will be strengthened.

The Council took note of the Government's plans to increase the number of foreign students in Malaysia through more Government-to-Government engagements and by easing business processes to facilitate the entry of foreign students. Additionally, various promotion and marketing programmes worldwide will be carried out, particularly in high-value markets such as the Middle East and China. By 2025, foreign students in the country are expected to reach 250,000 from 153,328 recorded in June 2016 (latest info).

The meeting also emphasised on attracting more tourists from China, India and the Middle East in particular the middle class and professionals with high spending power. The access to e-visa application among tourists overseas will also be improved. Complementing this, the Council agreed for digital marketing to be a key medium in promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourist destination.

In supporting and facilitating the development of the services sector, the Government has provided a number of initiatives and facilities such as the Services Export Fund, Mid-Tier Companies Development Programme and Go-Ex as well as export promotion activities. These will address specific needs of export-ready services firms not only through funding opportunities but other support measures such as consultation, market research and intelligence, as well as export promotion.

The NEC, introduced in December 2014, is chaired by YAB Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak. The Council, with MATRADE as its secretariat, is tasked with formulating strategies to drive Malaysia's exports and to build an ecosystem conducive to the development of Malaysian industries. The NEC meets four times a year and its first meeting next year will take place sometime in the first quarter of 2017.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2016, KUALA LUMPUR: All eyes are on Malaysia as Kuala Lumpur International Aerospace Business Convention (KLIABC) 2016 opens its doors to main industry players from around world. Starting today till 9 December 2016 the event will be linking Malaysian companies in the aerospace sector with potential partners from around the globe.

Organised by Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) in collaboration with Advance Business Events (ABE) France, the second KLIABC 2016 was launched by Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry YB Datuk Ahmad Haji Maslan at MATRADE Exhibition and Convention Centre.

The event gathers decision makers and renowned aerospace players who are seeking Malaysian expertise in the aerospace parts & components manufacturing, engineering & design services, Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) as well as systems integration & maintenance. Over 130 organisations from 19 countries are set to converge at the event.

First introduced last year, the KLIABC 2016 is a cost-effective platform for local companies particularly Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to network with potential trade partners in improving their market penetration and securing their position in the global supply chain.

The main highlights of KLIABC 2016 are a one-day high level conference on 7 December 2016 and Business-to-Business (B2B) meetings slated throughout the remaining two days. The conference features speakers from airlines, Original Equipment Manufacturers and the MRO industry.

A new component at the event this year is a dedicated segment for engine industry called 'Engine Forum' where the B2B forum will be highlighting trends and latest development in aero-engines, turbines and other propulsion as well as power generation.

The conference is divided into four main titles namely Malaysia Aerospace Industry: Looking Out Into the Future; Partnership: The Advantage of Sharing Mutual Expertise, Airlines MRO: What To Insource Vs Outsource; and Component MRO & Engine Maintenance Repair.

As for the B2B meetings taking place on the 8 and 9 December 2016, Malaysian companies can expect to discuss export opportunities with airlines, aircraft manufacturers, engine makers, OEMs, Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 companies, suppliers as well as engineering service providers.

Among the participating major players at the KLIABC 2016 include Airbus Group, Rolls Royce, Honeywell Aerospace, Safran France, Ruag Aviation, Triumph Aerostructure, Malaysia Airlines, Air Asia, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, DRB Hicom, Fly Dubai, Garuda Indonesia, China Eastern Airlines, Etihad Airlines Engineering, Strand Aerospace Malaysia and GIFAS-French Aerospace Industries Associatio..

According to Chief Executive Officer of MATRADE Dato' Dzulkifli Mahmud, the KLIABC 2016 is MATRADE's initiative to strengthen Malaysia's status as an aerospace hub for not only the ASEAN region but the world too. "Malaysia has one of the fastest growing commercial aerospace sectors in Asia Pacific with an average growth of 9 percent year-on-year from 2006 to 2015," he said.

"MATRADE is a main driver for the country in developing the local aerospace industry and we do not just look into the promotional aspects of the industry, but we also work closely with industry players on establishing, developing and promoting the whole eco-system of the industry," Dato' Dzulkifli added.

In 2015, the KLIABC has recorded a total of 2,500 B2B meetings and has generated total sales of RM137 million. In the same year, Malaysia's exports of aerospace products recorded a significant increase of 44.7 percent to RM4.2 billion from RM2.9 billion in 2014. Main exports were aircraft parts and components such as composite wing parts and engine parts (nacelle).

Higher exports were seen through aircraft and associated equipment which have increased by a staggering 186.2 percent from RM2.24 billion in 2012 to RM4.17 billion in 2015. Meanwhile, the main export markets in 2015 for Malaysia included the United States of America, United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan and Thailand.

The KLIABC 2016 provides an ideal avenue for industry players to congregate and discuss strategies to fulfil the industry's requirements. With the introduction of Malaysia Aerospace Blueprint 2030 by the Malaysian Government, Malaysia is set to be a major player in the Aerospace sector in the Asia Pacific region. Among the strategies outlined in the Blueprint are to capturing new markets and strengthening local supply chain, taking into examples main players such as Mexico and Morocco, who both have been regarded as the global hubs for North America and Europe respectively.