Malaysia will intensify efforts to enter new markets in Europe, Latin America and Africa to boost trade and strengthen its position as a competitive trading nation, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Sunday, according to state news agency Bernama.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Rancakkan Madani Bersama Malaysiaku programme, Anwar said Malaysia “cannot succeed as a trading nation” if it focuses only on existing strategic partners, and urged government agencies to treat market expansion as a priority.
Anwar said trade ties with the United States and China — among Malaysia’s largest trading partners — would continue, but the country needed to broaden its export destinations and commercial links to sustain growth and build resilience.
Malaysia would also seek to raise intra-ASEAN trade and “penetrate” markets in Latin America and Africa, which he said hold significant potential.
Anwar cited signs of improving economic momentum, pointing to 5.2% gross domestic product growth in the third quarter of 2025 and describing the ringgit as Asia’s best-performing currency, as he called on ministers and civil servants to keep pushing reforms and execution.
He also thanked the Cabinet and involved parties for the successful staging of the recent 47th ASEAN Summit.
The push to diversify markets reflects a common trade-off for export-reliant economies: staying plugged into big-volume corridors like the U.S. and China while reducing concentration risk.
For Malaysia, new-market expansion could soften shocks from geopolitics, weaker demand cycles in key industries, or changing supply-chain strategies among multinationals. The harder part is execution where progress tends to be slower than policy messaging.
