Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, has urged Canada’s authorities to consider dropping visas for Malaysians.

Canadians currently are eligible for visa-free travel to Malaysia for stays of up to three months. Taking this into account, the Malaysian Prime Minister asked for reciprocity, VisaGuide.World reports.

While no promises have been made, a possible agreement on the matter would mean that Malaysians would be able to travel to Canada without the need to apply for a visa.

During a joint meeting between Prime Minister Ibrahim and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the establishment of the BlackBerry Cyber Security Centre of Excellence (CCoE) in Cyberjaya was also announced.

This development means that Canada and Malaysia will strengthen their collaboration in cyber security. In addition, Malaysia’s Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (CCoE) started its initial operation in March of this year. As a result, it is expected to turn into an international hub to handle emerging cyber threats.

Anwar expressed Malaysia’s readiness for a swift finalization of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Defence Cooperation between the two nations. As ASEAN Chairman for 2024, Laos will soon pass the chairmanship to Malaysia, which will take over the role in 2025. Malaysia is set to assume this position starting January 1 officially.

Bilateral Trade Between Malaysia & Canada Grows 25% Since 2018

Malaysia has experienced a 25 percent increase in bilateral trade with Canada since 2018, thanks in part to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which took effect for Malaysia in November 2022.

In the last 15 months, Malaysian businesses have shown a promising uptake in obtaining Certificates of Origin (CO) for exports to CPTPP partners, including Canada.

Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, noted that while Malaysia’s overall trade with Canada declined in 2023 compared to 2022, projections for this year appear optimistic, supported by the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) forecast of 3.3 percent growth in merchandise trade for 2024.

Currently, there are 96 manufacturing projects involving Canadian investment, amounting to a total of US$274 million.

The top three sectors attracting Canadian investments are electrical and electronics (E&E), basic metal products, and wood and wood products, with these projects creating jobs for 11,027 individuals.

In February, Malaysia and Canada also reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing collaboration in agriculture, fisheries, and livestock sectors while welcoming technical cooperation in agricultural research and development. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security highlighted that the meeting addressed various aspects of bilateral cooperation focused on food security.

During the discussions, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup introduced MacAulay to Malaysian agricultural products, including pineapples, and expressed interest in exporting local tropical fruits to the Canadian market.