Kuala lumpur: The Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) said the Malaysia-United States Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) does not change the direction of the country's nuclear policy. It said the government remains committed to ensuring that any nuclear cooperation carried out is in line with Malaysia's national interests, national security, and international commitments without compromising the policy sovereignty and autonomy of the government to make the best decisions for the country.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, PETRA stated that based on input from the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI), Article 5.3 of the ART agreement does not bind Malaysia to rely exclusively on the technology of the US or any particular country. In this regard, it said, Malaysia can acquire or purchase nuclear reactors, nuclear fuel, or other nuclear materials from countries other than the US if the offer submitted is more competitive in technical and commercial terms than the offer by the US.
"Malaysia's energy and nuclear policy sovereignty remains preserved," PETRA confirmed. "Malaysia is free to evaluate and select the most suitable cooperation partner with any nuclear technology supplier country including Russia, China, France, and South Korea based on technological capabilities, cost, safety level, technology transfer, and compliance with international standards," it added in a reply posted on the parliament website to a question from Suhaizan Kaiat (PH-Pulai) regarding the ART agreement, especially Article 5.3 which limits the acquisition of nuclear materials from 'certain countries', which will change the direction of the country's nuclear policy in the context of cooperation with Russia, China, France, and South Korea.
PETRA emphasized that Article 5.3 of the ART should be read comprehensively. "Although the opening sentence appears to limit Malaysia's ability to acquire reactors and nuclear materials from 'certain countries', the closing sentence of the clause gives Malaysia room to decide on acquisition based on commercial, technical, and security considerations, in line with national interests," it explained. "Therefore, this article does not state any obstacles for Malaysia to establish relations and cooperation with technology supplier countries in various aspects related to nuclear energy including training, research, capacity development, nuclear safety, radiation, and others," PETRA added.
The government will continue to adopt a balanced, neutral, and national interest-based approach in considering any cooperation and development of nuclear technology in line with international legal commitments and requirements, the ministry explained.