CERCLE DIPLOMATIQUE - issue 04/2018

LE MONDE MALAYSIA | INTERVIEW
LE MONDE EXPERT‘S VIEW
„Austrian companies are strong in
developing technologies. We are
looking at that closely.“
Malaysia – Our largest export market
in South East Asia
Werner Somweber, Austrian Commercial Counsellor in Kuala Lumpur
cently regained its place among the top 20
economies in the world, at number 15 in
the World Bank Doing Business 2019 Report.
According to the Global Competitiveness
Index 2018 which is published by
the World Economic Forum, Malaysia
ranks 25 th out of 140 countries. Austria is
ranked 22 nd .
Which goods are important for Malaysian trade?
Malaysia is a trading nation. Oil is important.
Manufacturing products are very important
as well. One of the drivers of our
economy are SME‘s, are small and medium
enterprises. The new Malaysian government
wants to enhance the role of SME‘s as
major drivers of the economy. A good
example for the development is Austria
where SME‘s are very important as well.
That is something I have also recommended
to our Ministry of Entrepreneur Development.
Malaysia is an important producer
of palmoil. To protect the nature, we
are focussing on the certification of palmoil-plantations.
By the end of next year, all
plantations will be certified. This is the way
to sustainability. We still refer to the commitments
we made at the Rio Summit in
the year 1992. Malaysia is one of the top
producers of durian. Durian is known as
the „king of fruits“. We produce pineapple,
mangos and other tropical fruits as well. A
lot of the fruit-exports go to China.
Which countries are the most important trading
partners?
Singapore, followed by China and the European
Union. In the EU, Germany and the
United Kingdom are very important.
What are the most important Malaysian companies?
One example is Petronas, Malaysia‘s fully
integrated petroleum corporation. Petronas
reached in the Fortune 500 ranking
2018, which is a ranking of the 500 biggest
companies of the world, place 191. The
company Proton is very important as well.
It is a corporation that is active in automobile
design, car-manufacturing, distribution
and sales. Building electric cars will be
an importat task for the company. In doing
so, technology from Austrian companies
will be important.
What is Malaysia doing to be attractive for
international companies and investors?
International companies find it easy to
start business in Malaysia because of the
fact that we have a commitee that is called
Bermudah. It is sort of a one-stop-center.
The ministry of trade is also involved as is
the chamber of commerce. It is a mix between
government and industry which gives
direct feedback. There are a lot of incentives
for investors too. The Malaysian
Investment Development Authority MIDA
is a one-stop-center too. MIDA assists
companies which intend to invest in the
manufacturing and service sectors and
helps during the implementation of projects.
It is very important for us to be business-friendly.
Malaysia is an interesting destination for
travellers. How important is tourism for your
country?
The slogan “Malaysia – truly Asia“ describes
our country in a few words. This is very
important for tourism. The number of tourists
that travel to Malaysia has been increasig
for years. Last year, around 25 million
of international guests arrived in
Malaysia. This is in comparison to our population
of about 32 million inhabitants
very much. Tourism is increasing because
of the rising connectivity of Malaysia. There
are many flights and a number of low
cost carriers vailable.
What are the most popular destinations?
Malaysia offers a lot – from trips to cities
like Kuala Lumpur to enjoy wildlife. We
have beautiful beaches, highlands and
jungles and some of the best diving-spots
in the world. Additionally to that, Malaysia
offers around 200 golf courses. There is the
chance to play golf at night on courses that
are lit with floodlight. 2020 is going to be
our year of “Visit Malaysia“ again. There is
a programme that will attract people to travel
to our country. And the good thing for
people from Europe is that a trip to Malaysia
is affordable. The purchasing power of
the Euro to our currency, the Malaysian
Ringgit, is high. One Euro is about 4.9 Malaysian
Ringgit at the moment. Guests who
attend the best hotels like the Mandarin
Oriental, which is located in the Petrona
Towers in the centre of Kuala Lumpur, pay
around 660 Ringgit per day. That‘s about
120 Euro for accomodation in a luxury hotel.
That is very cheap in comparison to international
room rates.
Which sites should tourists visit?
I would recommend to visit historical sites
on Penang Island as well as Malakka, the
capital of the state Malakka in the southwest
of Malaysia. Penang is also very well
known – for its variety of street food. This
is because of the influences of the Malay,
Indian and Chinese. If travellers go to
Malaysia, they dont‘t have to worry about
opening hours. Usually everything is open
for seven days and 24 hours. The diving
spots in the state Sabah on Malaysian
Borneo are excellent and worldwide
known. The best diving resorts are on the
beautiful and small islands of Sabah. The
beaches are covered with white sand, palms
and coconut trees. And if travellers like to
get in the jungle, they have a choice of well
known resorts like the national park
Gunung Mulu in the state of Sarawak.
PHOTOS: RALPH MANFREDA
PHOTO: VALERI ANGELOV / VOGUESPOT.AT
Werner Somweber
serves currently as
Austria‘s Commercial
Counsellor in Kuala
Lumpur, the capital of
Malaysia.
QUALITY
INSIDE
Malaysia is one of the most technologically developed countries in ASEAN.
Malaysia has successfully diversified its economy over the last
decades from an agriculture and commodity-based, to one that now
plays host to robust manufacturing and services sectors and
established itself as one of the most technologically developed
countries in ASEAN.
As a leading trading nation in Southeast Asia, Malaysia has
traditionally been an important trading partner for Austria. Our exports
have steadily increased over the years and regularly exceed the 500
million EUR threshold. Thus, Malaysia has become the largest export
market for Austrian companies in ASEAN for a wide range of high-tech
products such as electronic devices, equipment for power stations, rail
technology as well as machinery for the packaging and plastics
industries. While Malaysia ranked 50 th amongst Austrian export
destinations in 2010, it has since then advanced to the 35 th place.
The Austrian Commercial Counsellor’s Office supports Austrian
companies with a broad spectrum of services such as market analysis
and market research, organisation of trade missions and group
exhibitions in international trade fairs. During the past two years we
have participated in trade fairs for water technology, defence services,
railway engineering, metallurgy, oil and gas, architecture, interior
design and green technologies.
Other promising sectors of cooperation are tourism and food
industry. In October this year, our office in cooperation with the
Austrian National Tourist Office, hosted an Austrian Showcase with 20
Austrian tourism experts to discuss ways and means of closer
cooperation with Malaysian outbound travel agents and tour
operators. Also in October, a delegation of Malaysian foodstuff
importers participated in “Marketplace Food”, organised by the
Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and met with exporters of food
and beverages. The Malaysian importers got the unique opportunity to
explore new sales channels with Austrian food and beverage
companies.
Malaysia‘s political and economic stability, investor friendly
business environment and developed infrastructure make it also an
attractive place for investors. The newly elected government’s agenda
includes the creation of an investment friendly policy as one of their
top priorities which should greatly benefit the country’s reputation on
a global level. This, and the central location in the ASEAN region,
attract more and more international players. 70 Austrian companies
have meanwhile set up shop in Malaysia. They are manufacturing
medical gloves, plastic pipes and motor cycles and assemble
gearboxes, geared motors and scaffolding structures to name but a
few. More and more companies are choosing Kuala Lumpur also as
their regional headquarter for the Asia/Pacific region, thus, making use
of the excellent connectivity to all major markets in Asia as well as far
cheaper operating costs then in neighbouring Singapore.
H.E. Ganeson Sivagurunathan during the interview
in his embassy office, located in the Florido Tower
in Vienna‘s 21 st district.
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46 Cercle Diplomatique 4/2018
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