KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) announced Wednesday that Malaysia secured 89.8 billion ringgit (21.18 billion U.S. dollars) in approved investments, marking a 3.7 percent year-on-year increase amid a challenging global economic backdrop.
MIDA said in a statement that these investments, spread across 1,556 projects in manufacturing, services, and primary sectors, are set to generate over 33,300 new employment opportunities for Malaysians.
"The results reflect continued investor confidence in the country's clear policies and long-term fundamentals, bucking the trend of cautious international capital flows due to geopolitical and macroeconomic volatility, as well as intensifying global competition for fresh investments," it said.
According to the statement, foreign investments dominated the investment landscape, contributing 60.4 billion ringgit or 67.3 percent of total investments, while domestic investments accounted for 29.4 billion ringgit or 32.7 percent.
"The investment environment in 2025 is expected to remain challenging due to continued geopolitical and macroeconomic headwinds stemming from the global trade war," said Zafrul Aziz, minister of investment, trade and industry.
"Although major markets' protectionist policies and supply chain frictions continue to weigh in on companies' investment decisions, Malaysia's clear policies should be able to attract more investments from Asia's growing economy, expected to expand to about 42 percent of global gross domestic product by 2040," he added. (1 ringgit equals 0.24 U.S. dollars) ■
