Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Liew Chin Tong: We should build a Malaysian brand image of trustworthiness and friendliness for Malaysian global service providers to thrive in the export of services.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 20): Malaysian companies, especially those in the logistics sector, should go regional with a whole-of-government approach to create Malaysian global champions in services, said Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Liew Chin Tong.

He said transport services continue to be a significant contributor to Malaysia’s trade deficit, reflecting reliance on foreign shipping and logistics providers to support Malaysia’s export-driven economy.

Liew said this is a cause for concern and calls for more effort to transform the situation.

“We should build a Malaysian brand image of trustworthiness and friendliness for Malaysian global service providers to thrive in the export of services,” he said in his opening speech at the Service Conference 2025 (SERV25) here on Monday.

Liew also suggested that Malaysia should do more to make itself a hub for regional headquarters, tourism, higher education, research and development (R&D) activities, legal and arbitration services, and finances, especially Islamic finance.

He said emerging sectors such as digital trade, and sustainable and green services are areas Malaysia can make a global difference.

“The linkage between services, manufacturing and technology should be firmly established,” he said, a sign that Malaysia is seeing an upsurge in manufacturing activities, thanks in part to supply chain relocation, with manufacturing-related services being core to the development of a robust services sector.

“We must do more to link the two sectors together, and more importantly, connect manufacturing and services with Malaysian technology,” he said.

He said the service sector linkage to supplement “Made in Malaysia” with “Made by Malaysians” is crucial.

SERV25 brought together speakers and thought leaders to explore cutting-edge digital transformation strategies to reshape Malaysia’s economic landscape.

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