U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to visit Malaysia next week

Kuala Lumpur, Dec 8 — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Malaysia on his inaugural tour of Southeast Asian countries next week, in what is seen as a bid to project Washington’s involvement in a region where China is expanding its influence.

According to a statement by Wisma Putra, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah will receive Secretary Blinken, who is scheduled to visit from the 14th to 15th December 2021.

Secretary Blinken is also scheduled to call on Prime Minister Dato Seri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob.

Sources claim that the two sides will likely confer on Beijing’s unilateral territorial claims in the South China Sea, as well as the political situation in Myanmar, international and regional issues of common concerns, and a host of other subjects during the visit.

“The visit by Secretary Blinken will provide an excellent opportunity for Malaysia and the US to further strengthen the multifaceted cooperation and explore new joint initiatives” read the statement by Wisma Putra.

The US is one of Malaysia’s major trading partners and investors. In 2020, Malaysia-US trade was valued at RM178.18 billion, while the total amount of investments approved from the US in the manufacturing sector in Malaysia was valued at RM3.7 billion.

According to Wisma Putra, the ongoing active collaboration in trade and investment, digital and green economy, cyber-security, defense, health, tourism, education, and people-to-people ties has brought tremendous benefits to both sides, with the US-Malaysia Comprehensive Partnership continuing to be an overarching framework for pro-active, multifaceted, and mutually beneficial collaboration between the two nations.

NMT