DESPITE the rivalry between the US and China, tensions in the South China Sea and a recent huge increase in Chinese investments in Malaysia, America is still the top investor in Malaysia, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.

Anwar said Malaysia welcomes trade and investments from everyone, adding that the US has always been a supportive ally.

“We have excellent ties with China too. I feel comfortable meeting President Xi Jinping, and I have also met with Premier Li Qiang three times.

“That, to me, places Malaysia in a unique position to utilise and benefit from our relationships with both the US and China,” he said at the Invest Malaysia New York event in the United States organised by Bursa Malaysia.

Over 100 representatives from major US companies and fund managers attended the event.

Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said Malaysia has benefitted from the vast investments of major US firms such as Amazon Web Services, Boeing and Intel.

He said Malaysia has one of the best infrastructures in the region and is continuously taking steps to improve the ease of doing business and eliminate corruption.

In 2022, the US topped Malaysia’s list of foreign direct investors with a net inflow of RM37.8 billion.

Last month, outgoing US ambassador to Malaysia, Brian McFeeters said US companies had pledged investments totalling RM100 billion in various sectors in Malaysia over the last 18 months.

He said these investments were in the electronics and semiconductor sectors as well as the data centre segment. – Bernama, September 22, 2023.