KUALA
LUMPUR, May 13 (Bernama) — Malaysia received German support in its
talks to conclude the Malaysia-European Union Free Trade Agreement, said
Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Seri Mustapa
Mohamed.
"Malaysia
is in the early stages of negotiating a Malaysia-EU FTA to further
facilitate trade and investment ties," he said in a statement issued by
the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) here Thursday.
Mustapa
said the European Union (EU) ranked fourth on Malaysia’s trading
partners list, and Germany was its largest EU-zone trade partner.
MITI
said Mustapa and Brüderle discussed bilateral trade and opportunities
in the manufacturing and alternative energy sectors on the sidelines of
the 12th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Businesses, which is being
held in Singapore from May 13-15, 2010.
The
ministry said Germany’s Deputy Minister of Economics and Technology,
Rainer Brüderle, also pledged continued technical and development
cooperation.
"Brüderle
also highlighted possible new areas for cooperation, particularly in
green technologies and alternative energy, during the meeting.
"During
the meeting, Mustapa him on Malaysia’s New Economic Model reforms and
their importance in raising Malaysia’s competitiveness in the region,"
it said.
Germany
is one of the largest foreign investors in Malaysia.
At
present, there are about 350 German companies with operations in
Malaysia, including some of the biggest German companies.