Malaysia assures that the US-Malaysia trade agreement does not affect Bumiputera policies, government procurement, or restrict Malaysia’s foreign policy stance of active neutrality.
KUALA LUMPUR: The United States never demanded or raised the issue of Bumiputera rights as a clause in the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) with Malaysia, a deputy minister said.
Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Liew Chin Tong stressed there is no need for specific exemptions on Bumiputera rights within the ART commitments.
“The MADANI government has always and will continue to defend Bumiputera policies,” he said in the Dewan Negara today.
“There is no clause in the reciprocal trade agreement that grants privileges or Bumiputera rights to US companies.”
Liew was winding up the debate on the Supply Bill (Budget) 2026 on behalf of his ministry.
He also emphasised that the ART does not require full liberalisation of sensitive economic sectors for US companies.
“The issue of government procurement is also not included within the scope of the ART commitments,” he explained.
Liew added that the agreement does not restrict Malaysia from joining regional trade blocs like BRICS.
“This agreement does not prevent Malaysia from joining any bloc, and the government’s policy is we are not aligned with America, we are not aligned with China,” he said.
“Our policy is active neutrality. We are in the middle — we need the US market and we need trade with China, but our stance is active neutrality.”
The government will monitor the ART’s implementation through a joint committee with US trade representatives.
This is to ensure the agreement remains aligned with the nation’s interests.
