Malaysian investors were urged to explore opportunities across agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, technology and other key sectors.
The Myanmar-Malaysia High-Level Business Dialogue 2026 was held in Kuala Lumpur yesterday with the aim of promoting investment and economic cooperation between Myanmar and Malaysia, with President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar U Min Aung Hlaing, attending and delivering remarks on opportunities to strengthen bilateral economic ties.
The dialogue was jointly organized by the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) and the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (NCCIM) at the InterContinental Kuala Lumpur Hotel.
Senior Myanmar officials accompanying the President, Malaysian government officials, UMFCCI President U Aye Win and members, NCCIM President Mr Norsyahrin Hamidon and officials, as well as leading businesspeople from both countries attended the event. The Myanmar delegation was warmly welcomed by officials and business leaders upon arrival.
In his opening remarks, President U Min Aung Hlaing said Myanmar and Malaysia share historical ties and are both ASEAN member states located in the South-East Asian peninsula. Bilateral relations have gradually expanded beyond political and diplomatic ties into such areas as trade, investment, connectivity and technology, energy, tourism, education and culture.
He said the time was ripe to build the existing friendly relations between the two countries into a stronger economic partnership.
The President noted that economic and technological changes were taking place rapidly worldwide, while regional and global challenges were increasing the importance of economic resilience. Against this backdrop, mutual trust, respect and mutually beneficial cooperation among regional countries had become increasingly important. Malaysia is currently an important trading partner of Myanmar, with bilateral trade reaching US$1.662 billion last year and exceeding US$1.01 billion through August this year, he said.
Myanmar exports agricultural products, fishery products, rubber and raw materials, and garments to Malaysia, while importing fuel and lubricants, petroleum products, palm oil, food products, industrial finished goods, electronic products, plastic raw materials, chemical raw materials and pharmaceuticals from Malaysia.
He said the complementary nature of products traded between the two countries provided opportunities to increase bilateral trade and raise the proportion of value-added products. In particular, Myanmar could work with Malaysian businesses to transform agricultural, livestock, fishery and other raw materials into value-added products meeting international standards in quality, packaging and food safety.
He also highlighted opportunities for joint ventures and business-to-business cooperation by combining Malaysia’s technology, management expertise, quality standards, market linkages and distribution networks with Myanmar’s resources and production base.
Investment, he said, played a key role in strengthening bilateral economic cooperation. Malaysia is currently Myanmar’s ninth-largest foreign investor, with 32 investment projects worth more than US$1 billion being implemented in Myanmar.
He invited Malaysian investors to explore opportunities in food production and processing, agricultural processing, halal food, fisheries, rubber and rubber-based products, packaging, cold storage and logistics, industrial production and other value-added sectors.
The President also encouraged cooperation in modernizing the entire farm-to-market supply chain, including seeds and agricultural inputs, modern machinery, post-harvest loss reduction, drying, cleaning, cold storage, packaging and distribution. The integration of digital logistics, warehouse management, cargo tracking and quality-control systems could further reduce post-harvest losses and improve export supply-chain management, he said.
He invited Malaysian investors to cooperate in the palm oil sector, noting Malaysia’s experience in palm cultivation, palm-oil milling, refining and value-added edible-oil production. He said such cooperation could be undertaken in Taninthayi Region, which is geographically and climatically suitable for palm cultivation, while vegetable-oil production could also be developed nationwide.
Opportunities also exist in livestock and meat and fish production, he said, adding that Myanmar was prepared to develop production systems meeting required standards and cooperate with Malaysian investors to gain access to the Malaysian halal food market.
He further pointed to opportunities in livestock farms, animal-feed production, animal healthcare, meat processing, halal certification, food traceability, cold-chain facilities and meat-production technology.
The President said Myanmar was prioritizing infrastructure development and that opportunities were also available for Malaysian businesses to invest in iron, steel and cement production.
He invited Malaysian investors to participate in Myanmar’s special economic zones, including Thilawa, Dawei and Kyaukpyu. While the Thilawa Special Economic Zone is currently the most successful, the Dawei and Kyaukpyu zones are expected to become strategically important in the future.
He said investment could extend beyond factory construction to the development of industrial clusters, supplier networks, logistics hubs and export-processing facilities, creating long-term supply-chain linkages between Malaysian and Myanmar companies.
Cooperation among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) was also highlighted as an important area. He proposed e-commerce development, joint vocational training schools and cooperation in manufacturing MSME products, as well as regular business, supplier and technology matching programmes between MSMEs from the two countries.
He also emphasized the importance of financial services, particularly remittance channels, given the large number of Myanmar migrant workers in Malaysia. Cooperation among banks, remittance-service providers and fintech companies could help establish secure, fast and transparent digital payment and remittance systems in compliance with relevant regulations.
He called for stronger links between banks in the two countries, improved cross-border payment and settlement systems, expanded trade-finance services and greater access to financial support for MSMEs.
Malaysia’s experience in digital banking, payment technology and banking risk management could also be shared with Myanmar, he said.
Education, healthcare and tourism were identified as further areas for cooperation. The President said Myanmar was promoting these sectors as part of human-resource development and that Malaysian businesses could explore opportunities to establish education-related businesses, offer joint training programmes and expand education services in Myanmar.
In healthcare, he highlighted potential cooperation in hospitals and clinics, pharmaceutical production, medical equipment, medical tourism, telemedicine and teleconsultation, health technology and skills development.
He also noted Malaysia’s successful transition from a natural-resource-based economy towards a modern technology-driven industrial economy, including the semiconductor, artificial intelligence and data-centre sectors. Myanmar’s Yadanapon Cyber City near PyinOoLwin, covering more than 2,800 hectares, was highlighted as an opportunity for investment in information technology, software development, high-tech industries and digital services.
He said Malaysian companies in electrical and electronics, semiconductors, machinery and equipment and digital technology could combine their experience with Myanmar’s manufacturing capabilities, workforce and market base to develop assembly, component manufacturing, technical training and technology-transfer activities.
He proposed cooperation between Malaysian technology companies and Myanmar universities, technical schools and private businesses in internship programmes, vocational training, technical certification and skills development.
To make bilateral economic cooperation more practical, the President suggested strengthening a regular Business Dialogue and Business Matching Mechanism involving government departments, business associations, chambers of commerce and the private sector.
He also proposed establishing a Business Information and Investment Facilitation Platform to connect investment opportunities, tradable products, required technologies and quality standards, potential business partners and market needs in one place. Through such mechanisms, discussions could lead to concrete investment projects, joint ventures, export contracts and technology partnerships, he said.
He added that Myanmar protects domestic products and investments under four intellectual property laws and places emphasis on technology cooperation, the creation of quality employment and the development of domestic production and infrastructure while safeguarding investors’ interests in accordance with its policies.
The President said Myanmar would support Malaysian investment projects and give priority to increasing bilateral trade and investment.
He described the dialogue as not merely a platform for exchanging opportunities but also as a platform for initiating practical economic cooperation between the two countries.
By combining Myanmar’s natural and human resources with Malaysia’s technology, investment and market linkages, the two countries could establish a long-term cooperation chain from trade to investment, from investment to value-added production, and from value-added production to regional market connectivity.
He called on Malaysian businesspeople to view Myanmar not merely as a market but as a partner for production, value-added manufacturing and regional supply-chain connectivity, and invited them to pursue long-term mutually beneficial cooperation.
During the dialogue, Malaysian businesspeople also discussed their country’s development and experience in international port operations, logistics and transportation, integrated agriculture including palm oil and coconut cultivation, energy and technology, steel and mineral production, and construction.
They also presented strategic economic perspectives on international and regional developments, requirements for aligning government policies and implementation standards to facilitate comprehensive economic cooperation with Myanmar, and practical recommendations and opportunities for increasing investment and economic cooperation between the two countries.
In response, the President said the opportunities and prospects for strengthening investment and economic cooperation between Myanmar and Malaysia had already been highlighted in his opening remarks. He welcomed the broad-ranging discussions and recommendations put forward by Malaysian businesspeople.
He said political and security stability was necessary for economic development and that Myanmar was continuing efforts towards political stability. He also said investment was protected by laws and invited Malaysian businesses to invest in Myanmar with confidence.
He further said the issues openly discussed by Malaysian businesspeople represented practical matters reflecting Myanmar’s actual needs. The government was making efforts from various angles to strengthen the economy and would provide necessary support for foreign investments.
He encouraged Malaysian businesspeople to visit Myanmar, study current market conditions firsthand and identify investment opportunities. He described the inaugural meeting as successful and constructive and called for the two sides to expand cooperation and jointly create a broader and more practically beneficial new economic front.
The dialogue concluded with the President cordially greeting the businesspeople from both countries. — MNA/ST
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