MINISTER of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, has held high-level discussions with Singapore and Indonesia to deepen trilateral economic ties and explore collective responses to global economic challenges.
“I had the opportunity to engage with counterparts from our neighbouring nations – Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto,” Tengku Zafrul shared in a post on X.
“Our main focus was to improve and deepen trilateral economic cooperation for our shared benefit,” he said, adding that the talks were framed by growing geopolitical uncertainty and ASEAN’s strategic role in the regional economic order.
Tengku Zafrul is among four ministers accompanying Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on his official visit to Indonesia, alongside Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Higher Education Minister Senator Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, Communications Minister Datuk Ahmad Fahmi Mohamed Fadzil, and Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
Malaysia and Indonesia continue to enjoy robust trade relations. In 2024, Indonesia ranked as Malaysia’s sixth-largest global trading partner and the second-largest within ASEAN. Bilateral trade rose 4.5 per cent year-on-year to RM116.29 billion (US$25.5 billion), from RM111.21 billion (US$24.39 billion) in 2023.
In a statement issued Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said the prime minister’s visit reciprocates Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s official trip to Kuala Lumpur earlier this year.
The trip also includes Malaysia’s participation in several key regional summits: the 46th ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit, and the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit, held from 26 to 27 May.
“This visit also forms part of preparations for the 13th Annual Consultation between Malaysia and Indonesia, scheduled to take place later this year,” the ministry added. - June 27, 2025
