Kuala lumpur: The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) is set to evaluate the potential of liberalising foreign equity requirements in certain sectors, as part of ongoing trade negotiations with the United States, stated Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz. The discussions have highlighted Malaysia’s existing equity restrictions for foreign shareholders in specific sectors.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the minister noted that there is an international request for Malaysia to reconsider or liberalise these sectors, similar to the requests made to numerous other countries. The evaluation will include consultations with relevant industries to determine their readiness to relax foreign equity shareholding restrictions, particularly in sectors deemed strategic for the nation.

Tengku Zafrul indicated that some sectors have already been fully liberalised, with the manufacturing sector almost entirely open to foreign equity. However, strategic sectors still maintain foreign equity limits. He emphasized the need for careful assessment of the potential impacts of such liberalisation.

The minister also mentioned that current trade negotiations with US representatives are primarily addressing non-tariff issues, with no new terms introduced. He has set a deadline for the negotiation team to resolve outstanding issues, involving various agencies and ministries, ahead of US President Donald Trump’s tariff deadline on August 1. Discussions are expected to continue intensively until the end of the month.