LE JOURNAL TOULOUSIAN - TOULOUSE REGIONAL NEWSPAPER - 8 OCTOBER 2014
MALAYSIA, A GATEWAY TO SOUTHEAST ASIA
With a view to making of the Midi-Pyrénées region a player in the Franco-Malaysian economic diplomacy, the Agency for the North-South Economic and Cultural Development (ADEC-NS) in partnership with Centre Compans Caffarelli Novotel Hotel and its Manager Patrick Deyris hosted on Thursday, 2nd October 2014 a dinner-debate on the following theme: ‘Malaysia’s economic openness: cooperation opportunities’.
Sixty participants including economic, academic and cultural players of our region attended the event to meet the delegation from the Embassy of Malaysia in France led by His Excellency Tan Sri Ismail Omar, Ambassador of Malaysia to France since 2013. The Ambassador was accompanied by Mrs. Anil Adenan and Mrs. Noorhazlina Mohamad-Nor, Economic Counsellor of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA).
Long-standing relations
‘The key objective of our meeting is to deepen the economic and cultural exchanges with Malaysia in finding concrete solutions when some obstacles remain’, said ADEC-NC President Gilbert Salinas at the beginning of his opening remarks. Praising the long-standing nature of the Franco-Malaysian relations, dating back to Malaysia’s independence in 1957, Gilbert Salinas underscored the mutual benefits of the cooperation in key areas such as defence, trade and industry. The Malaysian delegation had the opportunity to visit the sites of several companies based in Toulouse including Egis Avia. Mr. Salinas also reminded the participants of the importance to aim at the youth in our two countries by encouraging transfers of know-how and developing the university partnership initiatives following the example of the partnerships with the Aerospace Institute and the Toulouse Business School.
A dynamic economy
‘The youth is our future’, stated H.E. the Ambassador. ‘30% of our population is under age 15 and in this globalized world young people are our ambassadors because they are more open, more connected and more dynamic. That is why I am talking to them too today’. He then painted a picture of the Malaysian economy and of the Franco-Malaysian economic relations. As the second trade partner of France within ASEAN, Malaysia was our forty-second supplier and France is Malaysia’s fourteenth supplier. The rise in French exports to Malaysia reflects the interest shown by big French groups (EADS, PSA, ST Microelectronics) in the Malaysian market as well as Malaysia’s interest in our expertise in the field of aerospace and space and in the electronics sector. Developing the high-tech sector and reinforcing the human capital is the objective of the Economic Transformation Programme launched by the Malaysian government to make of Malaysia a high-income nation by 2020.
Southeast Asia, the centre of gravity of tomorrow’s economy
Supported by the presentation made by Noorhazlina Nor, Counsellor of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), His Excellency the Ambassador stressed the huge potential offered by the ASEAN market with a 600 million population and a combined GDP of USD 1.93 trillion. He also invited the French businesses to look at Malaysia as a strategic trade partner within ASEAN. The Ambassador’s visit to Toulouse is an encouragement to French businesses, and particularly Toulouse ones to visit Malaysia to discover the trade opportunities as well as the government’s commitment to provide the necessary support to companies willing to invest in the country. When asked what was the potential offered by Southeast Asian countries today, the Head of International Relations of the Toulouse Business School replied: ‘The economic world’s centre of gravity is ASEAN’.
The Editor
from left to right: Mr.Salinas, Mr. Lahourcade,
H.E. Ambassador, Mr. Baris, Mrs Noorhazlina Mohamad Nor
