Malaysia, Japan to deepen cooperation in green tech
11 Aug 2022
Both nations are committed to developing a low-carbon society, environmental sustainability and combating climate change
Malaysia and Japan will continue to strengthen their cooperation in green technology as both nations were committed to developing a low-carbon society, environmental sustainability and combating climate change, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said.
Mohamed Azmin made the statement after delivering his keynote address at the business seminar to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Look East Policy (LEP) today.
“We (Malaysia and Japan) will focus on deepening our economic integration. This is an important thing for Malaysia because as a small economy and as a trading nation, we need to trade with every part of the world.
“That was also among the reasons why we expedited the ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership early this year.
“Now our local players, namely the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), have greater access and the capacity and capability to compete on the global stage,” he told the media.
According to him, the LEP, which has been running as LEP 2.0 since 2013, would propel Malaysia’s growth to a new level by using digitalisation, robotics, artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies.
He also touched on the importance of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which was established in 2012 to facilitate economic growth and prosperity in the region, especially in the areas of infrastructure, energy, transportation, agriculture and food security, and health care.
He said the IPEF was also aimed at strengthening regional connectivity and enhancing the quality of life of people in the Indo-Pacific region.
“This is to ensure the automation and digitalisation gap can be narrowed and carbon emissions be reduced among the industries, including SMEs, when is implemented.
“Apart from that, we have also introduced many incentives so that SMEs can quickly migrate to the use of green technology, and we will continue with these efforts so that we can achieve the objective before 2050,” he added.
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, who introduced the LEP for the first time on Feb 8, 1982, when he was serving as prime minister at the time, was a firm believer that Malaysian workers could model the
Japanese workers work ethic as a step toward Malaysia’s eventual goal of becoming an industrialised nation.
Mohamed Azmin gave credit for the beginning of the LEP to Dr Mahathir, adding that it was a visionary project that had brought about many great developments in Malaysia.
Source: The Malaysian Reserve
