Global Business Briefing with His Excellency Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, Ambassador of Malaysia to the U.S.

 

Malaysia has emerged as a rising star in the electronics and manufacturing scene, and foreign investors and businesses across the globe are vying for a stake amid a growing call for diversified supply chains. Exploring Malaysia’s political and economic wins, His Excellency Dato' Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, Ambassador of Malaysia to the U.S., discussed the diverse and expanding partnership in trade, investment, security, and environmental cooperation between the U.S. and Malaysia as well as Malaysia’s robust energy and manufacturing economy. This briefing also featured Monica He, Head of International Policy and Government Affairs at Organon, Ambassador Paul Jones, International Affairs Advisor at Squire Patton Boggs and former U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia (2010 – 2013), and was moderated by Ambassador Stuart Holliday, Chief Executive Officer at Meridian International Center. 

About His Excellency Mohamed Nazri

Ambassador Nazri is the 17th Ambassador of Malaysia to the United States of America. A seasoned politician, Nazri has held various Cabinet posts in his 28 years of politics, specializing in a wide range of issues particularly in governance, human rights and constitutional rights. Ambassador Nazri was fondly known as the de facto Law Minister of Malaysia when he was the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department from 2004 to 2013. He helmed legal-related and national security related departments including the Attorney General’s Chamber, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (formerly Anti-Corruption Agency), Prime Minister’s Department Legal Affairs Division, Parliamentary Affairs, Witness Protection Unit, Legal Aid Department, National Security Council, Public Service Department and 33 more portfolios. In his 10 years as Parliament Minister, he successfully tabled more than 100 law Bills to be passed into Acts. 

Here are some takeaways from the program:

U.S.-Malaysia business relationships and people-to-people exchanges have a longer history than formal diplomatic relations, and both countries share a long history of people-to-people exchanges through educational and cultural programs. The U.S. is Malaysia’s third-largest trading partner and largest holder of investment stock in the country. With a strong technology and manufacturing sector, Malaysia’s top-performing electronics industry attracted $6.6 billion in 2022, most notably from their rising semiconductor manufacturing scene. The new generation of young professionals in Malaysia is increasingly educated, and the government has established guidelines such as the Madani economic framework to boost Malaysia’s competitiveness and investment attractiveness while addressing the socioeconomic challenges facing Malaysian citizens. Located in the center of South Asia at a crucial chokepoint between the Indian and Pacific oceans, Malaysia sits in an area of great strategic importance, and international companies in Korea, Japan, China, and the West are flooding Malaysia with tech investments. As the sixth-largest semiconductor exporter in the world, Malaysia is prime real estate for international businesses and a key player shaping trade dynamics across the Indo-Pacific.