PM WOOS INVESTORS DURING U.S. TRIP
Ismail Sabri says Tesla can build electric cars in Malaysia
PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Wednesday rolled out the red carpet for American investors and businessmen, and presented Malaysia as a preferred investment destination.
He welcomed them, especially Fortune 500 companies, to invest or increase their stakes, namely in the digital economy, green technology and electric car sectors.
“I’ve suggested to Tesla to invest in producing electric cars in Malaysia.”
He told Malaysian journalists this after meeting ambassador Ted Osius, president and chief executive officer of the United States-Asean Business Council (US-ABC) at a hotel here.
Set up in 1984, US-ABC represents 170 major American businesses in Southeast Asia.
Ismail Sabri arrived here on Wednesday for a four-day working visit, during which he will meet President Joe Biden and Asean leaders.
Ismail Sabri said he had asked the US-ABC to play a bigger role in attracting investments to Asean, especially Malaysia.
“They regard Malaysia as an important trading partner of the United States,” Ismail Sabri said of the US-ABC reaction.
Later, he had a session with World Information Technology and Services Alliance (Witsa) secretary-general Dr James H. Poisant at the same venue.
Ismail Sabri said Witsa would hold the World Congress on Information Technology, the world’s largest IT conference, in Penang in September.
“I hope this congress will benefit Malaysians in terms of technology,” he said, adding that participants from all over the world, including speakers from America’s space agency, would attend.
In another meeting at the venue, he met Dr Adam S. Posen, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, as well as East-West Center vicepresident Dr P. Limaye.
Ismail Sabri held a separate discussion with Dr Kurt M. Campbell, deputy assistant to the US president and coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs in the National Security Council.
He told Campbell that all Asean member countries should be involved in the US-initiated IndoPacific Economic Framework (Ipef ).
At the moment, some countries were not in the picture for trade and economic initiative for the Indo-Pacific region, he said.
He said Kuala Lumpur had agreed in principle to join Ipef.