Deputy USTR Demetrios Marantis arrived in Kuala Lumpur Monday night for two days of meetings with Malaysian Government officials and business leaders. His government meetings on Tuesday -- with Bank Negara (Malaysia's central bank), the Ministry of Domestic Trade, and the Ministry of International Trade -- focused on Malaysia's planned market opening in the financial sector. U.S. Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary Sharon Yuan and other Treasury Department officials joined him for those meetings. Ambassador Marantis also addressed implementation of Malaysia's new competition law and efforts to strengthen Malaysia's intellectual property regime. He updated his Malaysian Government counterparts on the Obama Administration's trade policy goals, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Ambassador Marantis also met with representatives of the American and Malaysian private sectors.
U.S. goods exports to Malaysia in 2009 were $10.4 billion. The top export categories in 2009 were electrical machinery, machinery, aircraft, optic and medical instruments, and iron and steel. U.S. goods and services trade with Malaysia totaled $47 billion in 2008.
Ambassador Marantis with Senior Amcham Business Leaders
Ambassador Marantis and Trade Minister Mustapa (far left)
