National Trade Blueprint

5 National Trade Blueprint Executive Summary MALAYSIA’S TRADE PERFORMANCE is one of the key pillars of Malaysia’s economic growth. The country has maintained exceptional trade performance since 1998, marking 22 consecutive years of trade surplus by the end of 2019. Various policy documents have highlighted the importance of increasing Malaysia’s trade competitiveness to further the export agenda. Notably, one of the five macro strategies set forth in the Eleventh Malaysia Plan is related to export - to improve the nation’s trade balance through the strengthening of exports and prudent management of imports. In supporting the macro strategies outlined in the Eleventh Malaysia Plan, this National Trade Blueprint dives deep into the key challenges and opportunities across the export ecosystem and outlines strategic priorities for the nation to grow its competitiveness for 2021-2025. The 5 key objectives of the National Trade Blueprint are to: 1. Validate the concerns on enhancing Malaysia’s trade competitiveness 2. Identify the challenges in enhancing trade competitiveness 3. Benchmark against other countries with effective strategies and best practices in trade promotion 4. Recommend action plans and programmes for government, industry and the private sector to enhance trade competitiveness. 5. Enhance Malaysia's export competitiveness through: • Improved business ecosystem; • Increased export value and number of exporters; and • Promotion of products where Malaysia has or should have competitiveness in the future The scope of this blueprint encompasses merchandises/products only and exclude services. Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), the national trade promotion organisation under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), along with the technical and steering committee appointed from various ministries, agencies and industry representatives, have worked together to develop this blueprint. This blueprint encompasses the input from related stakeholders across the export ecosystem to address the challenges and act on the identified enablers of export. Introduction Nationwide survey was conducted to understand the export landscape from the perspective of both exporters and non-exporters. The survey covers the gaps, issues and challenges faced by businesses, assistance required, barriers to begin exporting, etc. One-on-one interviews were held with key stakeholders to gain an in-depth understanding of the gaps and issues from the perspective of different stakeholders. A series of workshops were held to bring together the key stakeholders across sectors nationwide to discuss the aspirations and validate recommendations for the blueprint. Participants include Chambers of commerce, industry associations, government agencies and private sector. 1 Interviews 2 National Surveys 3 Workshops