Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese makes his first official visit to Malaysia to co-chair the annual leaders meeting with Anwar Ibrahim.
KUALA LUMPUR: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is undertaking an official visit to Malaysia following his participation in the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.
This visit comes at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and represents Albanese’s first official trip to Malaysia since taking office on May 21, 2022.
Anwar and Albanese will jointly chair the third Malaysia-Australia Annual Leaders’ Meeting this afternoon.
The Malaysian Foreign Ministry stated both leaders are expected to discuss enhancing trade and investment cooperation along with collaboration in renewable energy and green technology.
They will also explore strengthening education and people-to-people linkages alongside defence and security partnerships.
Additional discussion topics include halal cooperation plus youth and sports initiatives between the two nations.
The leaders will exchange views on regional and international developments including ASEAN’s centrality and the Middle East situation.
They will further discuss Indo-Pacific developments and maritime cooperation matters.
Both prime ministers are scheduled to witness the exchange of Memoranda of Understanding on Transnational Crime and Basic Education.
They will also unveil a plaque commemorating the establishment of Monash University’s new campus in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia and Australia elevated their bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2021.
This partnership provides a platform for advancing cooperation under three pillars covering economic prosperity, society and technology, plus defence and regional security.
Australia continues to serve as an important economic partner for Malaysia.
Total bilateral trade reached RM51.50 billion (US$11.87 billion) in 2024 with exports valued at RM32.23 billion (US$7.44 billion) and imports at RM19.27 billion (US$4.43 billion).
Trade between both countries from January to September 2025 was valued at RM58.01 billion (US$13.41 billion).
Cumulative Australian investment in Malaysia stood at RM6.12 billion (US$1.73 billion) as of June 2025. – Bernama
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