Seizing Opportunities at Davos : YBM MITI at World Economic Forum 2020

The World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2020 took place from 21–24 January 2020 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. At this prestigious event, YB Datuk Darell Leiking, Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI), together with the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and InvestKL delegation represented Malaysia.

Aptly themed “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World”, this year’s event marked the 50th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum. It gathered more than 3,000 participants, ranging from world leaders and renowned figures from across the globe to discuss collaborative activities to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

The theme is in line with the Malaysian Government’s vision and long term commitment, particularly in the areas of renewable energy and green economy. These areas were highlighted in the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 as part of Malaysia’s move to ensure the country undertakes sustainable and equitable growth at every level of the value chain by restructuring local businesses and industrial ecosystem, exploring new growth areas and reforming talent and human capital.

During the various sessions at WEF Davos 2020, YB Datuk Darell Leiking highlighted Malaysia’s continuous commitment to sustainable economic development. He shared the significance of the Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) to the country and reiterated Malaysia’s commitment to enhancing cooperation with all nations involved in the initiative.

MIDA also set up a series of meetings between YB Datuk Darell Leiking and key representatives from global companies. These closed door meetings discussed business opportunities in Malaysia and potential investment plans into the country, particularly in the development of Industry 4.0 and advanced technologies.

The key highlight at WEF Davos 2020 was the bilateral meetings held with the various Ministerial counterparts from Switzerland, Turkey, Chile, Republic of Korea and South Africa. These meetings saw nations expressing their commitment to strengthen bilateral trade between their countries for mutually beneficial outcomes.

Additionally, notable news portals and publications such as CNBC, Bloomberg Asia, Astro Awani and Times Magazine that were present at WEF Davos 2020 took the opportunity to interview and gain more insights from the Minister. 

Dato’ Azman Mahmud, Chief Executive Officer of MIDA was also interviewed by Astro Awani at the event. The interview focused on MIDA’s continuous efforts and commitment to entice more investments into Malaysia, especially in areas of new technologies related to Industry4WRD.

The WEF Davos 2020 was indeed an excellent highlight for Malaysia and MIDA.