DOHA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim chaired a roundtable meeting today with industry captains in Qatar, where he took the opportunity to clarify the current investment climate in Malaysia.
More than 30 executives and top business leaders seized the chance to meet Anwar, with the prime minister also using the platform to assure them that Malaysia can be a preferred investment destination and a competitive trading partner for Qatar.
The companies involved in this meeting session mostly come from the service, manufacturing, and investment sectors.
Among them are Estithmar Holding and Baladna, among Qatar's largest companies based on market capitalisation.
During the interaction session, the prime minister spent almost an hour sharing the latest information on Malaysia's economy with the Qatari business community, along with the country's business ecosystem.
He also touched on the New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP) 2030 as the government's initiative to make Malaysia a leader in the high-tech industry sector through clearly defined goals and four missions outlined.
The roundtable meeting, hosted by the Investment, Trade, and Industry Ministry is Malaysia's aggressive effort to attract more high-quality investments into the country.
Also present was the Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.
Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, is in Qatar for a three-day visit as part of a mission to boost confidence in Malaysia as a potential investment destination for Qatar's industrial groups.
In addition to attracting potential investments, Malaysia is also interested in garnering more interest and awareness from the Qatari business community to obtain more products and services from Malaysia.
This is crucial as both countries embark on a new phase of cooperation after Malaysia and Qatar celebrated the 50th anniversary of bilateral trade this year.
Last year, bilateral trade between Malaysia and Qatar recorded RM4.2 billion, with the Gulf Arab country being Malaysia's fifth-largest trading partner.
From January to March this year alone, Malaysia-Qatar trade increased by 178.4 per cent to RM1.43 billion (US$303.9 million) compared to RM514.9 million (US$116.7 million) in the same period in 2023.
According to the International Monetary Fund, Qatar is one of the wealthiest countries in the world with a per capita income of nearly US$96,610 in 2020.
It is reported that petroleum and natural gas are the backbone of its economy, with Qatar having one of the largest natural gas reserves in the world.
