Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation

WEDNESDAY, 19 JULY 2017, KUALA LUMPUR: In light of the rising cyber security threat cases around the world, Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) has taken the initiative organised a seminar titled ‘Cyber Security on Global Trade’ to build stronger awareness among Malaysian companies on how to deal with cyber security threats.

The event took place at Menara MATRADE and was attended by over 100 participants who were representatives from companies in various sectors such as aerospace, healthcare, telecommunication and Food & Beverages. Among the topics presented at the seminar were ‘Laws Under the Purview of Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Corporation (MCMC)’, ‘Current Trend of Commercial Crimes’, ‘Cyber Threats: It’s Impact and What Can We Do?’ and ‘Cyber Security State of Affairs and Defence Mechanism’. The speakers were from MCMC, Royal Malaysian Police, SysArmy Sdn Bhd, and Emgraft Systems Sdn Bhd.

In Malaysia, the number of cyber crimes is increasing. According to Malaysia Computer Emergency Response Team (MyCERT) statistics, the total reported incidents of cyber threats in Malaysia in 2016 was 8,334 out of which, fraud and intrusion incidences were the highest, and accounted for 77% of the total reported cases. In addition, there were 1.13 million malware infections in Malaysia reported last year and as of April 2017, the figure stood at 331,165 cases. The number of cases is snowballing mainly due to the lack of awareness among Malaysians.

According to Senior Director of Exporters Transformation Division at MATRADE, Mr. Md Silmi Abd Rahman, cyber crimes affect not only individuals but businesses too and can be detrimental to the business health of Malaysian companies. “It is imperative for the business communities to equip themselves with the skills and knowledge to protect their company from being a cyber crime target. First step is to increase their awareness on the issue so they can learn how to mitigate the risks,” he said. “Despite the challenges and risks undertaken by Malaysian companies in finding the right foreign partners, appointing the genuine agents and to fulfil the global requirements to exporting, Malaysian companies must also be conscious of the cyber criminals and cyber attacks activities that vary from information leakages, stealing data, hacking and stalking, emails to financial frauds,” En Md Silmi added.

MATRADE as Malaysia’s trade promotion agency encourages Malaysian companies to take cyber security measures before embarking on any global ventures. The local industry players are advised engage with MATRADE to seek trade advisory prior to entering a foreign market.

As an agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, MATRADE offers various trade advisory to Malaysian companies, particularly the Small and Medium Enterprises that make up around 97% of Malaysia’s business establishments. MATRADE’s advisory services are free for Malaysian companies and can greatly help Malaysian companies to become global champions. For more details, local companies could email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

MONDAY, JULY 3 2017, KUALA LUMPUR : In an effort to enhance market outreach in China for Malaysia’s Halal sector, Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) will be coordinating the participation of Malaysian companies at the 23rd Lanzhou Investment & Trade Fair 2017 in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China from July 6 to 9. The Malaysian delegation will be led by YB Dato’ Seri Ong Ka Chuan, Minister II of International Trade and Industry.

The highlight of Malaysia’s participation is the selection of Malaysia as the Country of Honour by the organiser. Ninety representatives from 31 Malaysian companies and various Malaysian government organisations will take part at the prominent event.

The participation is timely as Lanzhou has been identified by the Chinese government as one the Halal trade hubs in China, besides being China’s strategic entrance for Halal products. Lanzhou also serves as a key regional transportation hub in China, connecting areas further west by rail to the Eastern half of China. Among the sectors promoted at the event include food & beverages, healthcare tourism and tourism services as well as many others.

Ir Dr Mohd Shahreen Zainooreen Madros, the Chief Executive Officer of MATRADE said that the involvement of Malaysian players at the event offers a good opportunity for Malaysia to promote its Halal products and services. “Participation at Lanzhou Investment & Trade Fair 2017 will also enable us to tap into the neighbouring Muslim markets of Gansu namely Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang and nearby provinces,” he said.

Apart from the trade exhibition, a Trade & Investment Forum will be organised and will involve business communities from around China and 32 countries. In addition to the forum, MATRADE and the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) will be organising an economic forum to promote trade and investment opportunities as well as highlight Malaysia’s capabilities in Halal certification, palm oil, education as well as health tourism. Other agencies involved are Halal Development Corporation (HDC), Malaysia Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE).

Participation at Lanzhou Investment & Trade Fair is a continuation of various efforts executed by the Government, including a recent visit by YAB Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak to China, to strengthen the country’s relationship with China, Malaysia’s main trading partner. Currently, both countries are already cooperating on mega projects such as the twin parks – Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park and China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park, Xiamen University in Malaysia – and a number of infrastructure development projects, particularly in the construction of railway.

“MATRADE, through its various export promotion initiatives will continue to accelerate Malaysia’s exports to China given its importance to Malaysian companies, especially the Small and Medium Enterprises,” Ir Dr Mohd Shahreen added.

In the first four months of 2017, trade with China registered a growth of 32.7% to RM91.36 billion. Exports surged by 42.5% to RM39.27 billion and imports expanded by 26.1% to RM52.09 billion. Products that contributed to the increase in exports were Electrical and Electronics products, petroleum products, chemicals and chemical products as well as rubber products. China also remains Malaysia’s largest trading partner. In 2016, it was Malaysia largest trading partner for 8th consecutive year since 2009.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11th, 2017 - In support to the Ministry of International Trade & Industry’s AEC Open Day from 8 to 9 August 2017 and to commemorate ASEAN 50th Anniversary celebration, PanPages Berhad and Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) are engaging with Malaysian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) at the SME Export Day in an effort to boost SMEs’ interest in export. Apart from promoting Malaysia’s export, the conference aims to provide a platform for SMEs’ to gather practical advice from a team of experts in trade.

Exporters, financiers and government representatives will congregate for a series of key addresses and discussions focused on maintaining Malaysia’s competitiveness in global trade. This conference will offer the most complete export guide to aspiring exporters as well as Malaysian SMEs who are planning to expand their businesses globally.

The SMEs will be getting insights from government agencies and established organisations who among them are freight forwarders, lawyer firms, export consultants and banks. The conference is considered one of the best platforms for Malaysian SMEs to ready themselves with exporting knowledge in various key areas, with particular emphasis on access to the ASEAN market.

ASEAN is the world’s 7th biggest economy and is targeted to be the world’s top-3 economy by 2030. With a market size of 630 million people, trade with ASEAN is important to help increase exports contribution by Malaysian SMEs to 23% by 2020, as compared to the current contribution of 17.6%.

Around 1,000 business decision-makers from export-ready Malaysian SMEs are expected to attend the large-scale full day conference. This comprehensive conference with step-to-step export guidance will be held at Perdana Hall, MITI Tower, 9th August 2017.

Interested participants can secure a spot at the event by visiting www.businesssite.panpages.com/sme-export-day or emailing info@panpages.

THURSDAY, 15 JUNE 2017, KUALA LUMPUR: Local ethical fashion industry can be part of the global supply chain provided more industry players are taking part in the initiative to be able to meet the world demand. This was what transpired at the briefing titled “Why does Ethical Fashion Matter?” jointly organised by Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) and Earth Heir Partners Sdn Bhd, a social enterprise that is involved in premium handicraft goods produced through ethical process.

The session held today was organised to enhance the awareness on sustainable model of the fashion industry among Malaysian fashion designers and manufacturers. The briefing, attended by 50 participants, involved a panel of speakers who are experts in the ethical fashion industry who shared the outlook of the ethical fashion industry in Malaysia as well as opportunities available for the players globally.

MATRADE as the trade promotion organisation encourages local companies to incorporate social values in the ecosystem, while at the same time exploring and tapping into the growing global demand for ethical fashion products. Ethical fashion encompasses an approach to the design, sourcing and manufacturing of clothing and accessories such as shoes, handbags as well as handicrafts that maximises benefits to the community, while minimising impact on the environment.

According to MATRADE’s Lifestyle Director En. Abu Bakar Yusof, ethical fashion is fast gaining traction around the world and there is a shift of demand in the European, Australian and North American markets. “Consumer behaviours are leaning towards ethical fashion designers and manufacturers as there is a big risk to reputational damage from the practice of unethical fashion. This has resulted in a lot of designers re-evaluating their sourcing options. Countries with higher ethical standards are beginning to capture a stronger buying power in this trillion-dollar industry. These benchmarks of ethical practice have become a prerequisite for the growing market, and fashion that is unable to comply with ethical fashion will soon no longer be able to compete,” said En Abu Bakar.

“Ethical fashion will not only positively impact the local society but also brings greater value to the products particularly in the international market where customers are willing to pay higher price for such premium products, which are made using ethical practices,”En Abu Bakar mentioned and added that MATRADE supports the initiatives by local social enterprises that attempt to adopt ethical process in their operation.

According to Ms Sasibai Kimis, Founder of Earth Heir Partners, ethical fashion has entered the mainstream industry and is securing its place internationally. “Paris, London, Berlin and New York have introduced fashion shows dedicated solely to ethical and sustainable fashion. Malaysia should not be left behind as international fashion retailers are unwilling to compromise on ethical values and have begun to seriously question all aspects of the supply chain,” said Ms Sasibai.

The global market for ethical fashion has quadrupled in the last four years and is growing steadily. In the United Kingdom, for instance, the ethical fashion industry rose 29% in 2016, valued at GB£1.80 billion. In China, more brands are actively looking at production facilities that meet ethical standards of materials, labour practices and working environment. Due to the industry’s infancy stage in Malaysia, there have yet to be any data collated.

MATRADE urges Malaysian fashion producers to be more aware on the latest market trends around the world to improve their competitiveness. Malaysian companies that are keen to know more or have updates on ethical fashion may contact MATRADE for discussions.