KULIM: Malaysia's firm stance on the Palestine-Israeli conflict will not negatively impact the growth of the electrical and electronics (E&E) industry in the country.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that the country's E&E exports to the United States accounted for 26 per cent of its total, a significant share of the total industry exports.
Hence, Anwar assured that the country would maintain diplomatic ties with the US despite its political differences, while also forging ties with China and Germany.
"Even though our stance on Gaza differs significantly from the US, we still safeguard our mutual investment interests. As a result, investments continue to grow.
"Moreover, we are also turning to China. In terms of E&E and Electric Vehicles (EV), China is outperforming in cost and efficiency, especially in battery production," he said during his opening address during an engagement session with E&E industry players.
Present were Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor and Kedah State Secretary Datuk Seri Norizan Khazali.
Anwar said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also assured strong support for E&E company Infineon's significant investment in Kulim despite political differences over Palestine.
"When I met Chancellor Olaf, the issue raised was my differing opinion on Gaza. However, he expressed robust support for Infineon's major investment here," he added.
Anwar emphasised the government's commitment to empowering the E&E sector by enhancing Technical and Vocational Education (TVET).
He said the government is considering establishing an engineering faculty at Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) to support this initiative.
Commenting further, Anwar welcomed input from E&E industry players on advancing the sector.
"As the government, I must say that we don't claim to have all the answers. We need to drive growth more rapidly, so your input is important," he added.