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MALAYSIA will reaffirm its commitment to rules-based, sustainable and innovation-driven trade this week as it joins regional and international partners at the 31st APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting in Jeju, South Korea, taking place from 15 to 16 May.
The Malaysian delegation will be led by the Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz. The meeting will be hosted under South Korea’s APEC 2025 chairmanship theme, “Building a Sustainable Future: Connect. Innovate. Prosper.”, and chaired by the country’s Minister of Trade, Inkyo Cheong.
“Malaysia remains firmly committed to working closely with APEC member economies to ensure that sustainability, innovation and open trade reinforce one another to benefit all, in line with our region’s aspiration for a more resilient, inclusive and future-ready Asia-Pacific,” said Tengku Zafrul in a statement issued on Monday.
The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) noted that Malaysia intends to use the forum to emphasise its support for a transparent and inclusive multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core—especially in the face of current global trade uncertainties.
Malaysia’s priorities also reflect the Putrajaya Vision 2040, which advocates for open, fair and non-discriminatory trade and investment as essential to achieving regional economic integration and sustainable growth.
“Malaysia fully supports APEC’s focus on AI as a catalyst for trade facilitation and innovation, directly reflecting the aspirations of the Vision towards an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community driven by innovation and digitalisation,” MITI added.
The Malaysian delegation is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with several APEC-ASEAN counterparts, as well as with the WTO Director-General, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
In addition, Malaysia will participate in the Informal Ministerial Meeting on the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), held on the sidelines of the MRT gathering. - May 12, 2025
