Kuala lumpur: The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) have renewed their memorandum of understanding (MoU), signaling a commitment to seize emerging investment opportunities within ASEAN, the Greater Bay Area, and Mainland China. The MoU renewal, which updates the original 2014 agreement, was formalized at the 'Hong Kong: Your Strategic Springboard to Chinese Mainland and Malaysia' Business Seminar and Networking Lunch.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the updated MoU outlines new areas of cooperation and reflects the shifting priorities of both economies. The agreement was signed by MIDA's chief executive officer, Datuk Sikh Shamsul Ibrahim Sikh Abdul Majid, and InvestHK's director-general of investment promotion, Alpha Lau, and was witnessed by Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Sim Tze Tzin and Algernon Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
Sikh Shamsul Ibrahim affirmed that MIDA will collaborate with InvestHK to boost investment, foster business connections, explore new partnerships, and fortify supply chains between Malaysia and Hong Kong. Since 1980, nearly 1,000 manufacturing projects involving Hong Kong have been approved in Malaysia, amounting to investments exceeding RM60 billion, or approximately US$15.5 billion, and are expected to generate about 197,000 jobs for Malaysians. In 2025 alone, Hong Kong was Malaysia's third-largest source of approved manufacturing investments, with projects worth RM12.4 billion, or about US$3.1 billion.
Sim Tze Tzin highlighted Hong Kong's role as a conduit between China and the global market, offering robust banking services, a strong legal framework, transparent markets, and an international business environment. He noted Hong Kong's unique insight into the Chinese Mainland due to shared cultural and linguistic ties, and extensive business networks. He emphasized that Malaysia serves as a strategic entry point into Southeast Asia, providing stable infrastructure, robust government support, a skilled multilingual workforce, and access to the ASEAN market of over 680 million people.
Alpha Lau stated that the renewed partnership will enable Malaysian businesses to expand internationally through Hong Kong. She also noted that Hong Kong and Chinese enterprises will be assisted in capturing high-value opportunities across Malaysia, leveraging it as a base for broader ASEAN expansion.