Minister Ng strengthens trade relations with Malaysia during first Team Canada Trade Mission to Southeast Asia

March 27, 2024 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, has concluded her visit to Malaysia, the first stop of the Team Canada Trade Mission to Malaysia and Vietnam. One of the key initiatives under Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, the mission opened doors to key markets for a diverse group of Canadian exporters and trailblazers.

With its resilient economy, talent pool and infrastructure, Malaysia offers many opportunities for Canadian companies and investors to grow. During her visit, Minister Ng joined representatives of Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service and more than 200 representatives from 135 Canadian businesses to discover new opportunities in a range of sectors. These included clean technologies, agriculture and processed foods, information and communication technologies and aerospace and defence.

Minister Ng attended the opening of BlackBerry’s Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in Malaysia with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The centre trains future cyber-defenders, will help address cybersecurity and is an excellent example of Canada’s engagement on cyber resilience and efforts to reduce security threats across the Indo-Pacific region, as outlined in Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.   Malaysia is actively looking for cybersecurity solutions, which opens doors for Canadian companies.  

During the trade mission, Minister Ng led and participated in business events, including with a group of women entrepreneurs. They connected over conversations about shared challenges that businesswomen face in Malaysia and Canada. The Minister discussed Canada’s support for advancing women’s economic empowerment and gender equality through Canada’s feminist foreign policy. The minister and the group also highlighted the importance of women in business, celebrated local role models and explored how to empower and inspire the next generation of women leaders in Malaysia.

Minister Ng also met with her counterparts to discuss the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which is helping Canadian companies grow in Malaysia and promoting collaboration in the technology sector. She also talked about Canada’s commitment to strengthening commercial relations with Malaysia by building on the momentum of the trade mission, including through ongoing negotiations toward a Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement.