KUALA LUMPUR: A total of RM113.5 billion in investments were approved in Malaysia in the first six months of this year compared with RM112 billion in the same period last year.
Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan said the investments consisted of 2,487 projects with 101,780 jobs in the services, manufacturing and main sectors (agriculture, mining, plantation and commodity).
“Domestic investments contributed RM92.1 billion, or 81.1 per cent, while foreign direct investments (FDIs) contributed RM21.4 billion, or 18.9 per cent. The ringgit devaluation did not have an impact on the overall investments,” he said in reply to a question in Parliament, here, yesterday.
Ahmad said government-linked companies were encouraged to bring back some their investments overseas and increase the use of locally-made products, as part of efforts to improve the economy.
“We offer incentives to investors, including corporate tax exemption.”
He said trade partners which had contributed to the country’s growth were Asean, European Union, the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China.
He said for the first eight months of the year, Malaysia’s trade had shown surplus of RM54.25 billion although exports decreased by 1.4 per cent to RM498.08 billion. Imports also decreased by two per cent to RM443.83 billion.
To another question, Ahmad said between January and June, Malaysia recorded a capital outflow of RM38.7 billion, compared with foreign capital investment of RM61 billion.
“This gives a surplus of RM22.4 billion, compared with the same period last year where we recorded RM17.4 billion net inflows of
investment. Malaysia remains resilient as an investment destination despite the challenging global economy.”