Australian foreign minister touts closer ties with Malaysia on food, cyber security

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong provides her speech all through a networking brunch with governing administration, business and civil societies in Kuala Lumpur June 29, 2022. — Bernama pic

Wednesday, 29 Jun 2022 1:00 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 — Malaysia and Australia can do the job collectively to prevail over common challenges in meals stability, wellbeing and Covid-19 pandemic restoration initiatives, states Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

Wong, who is at this time on a a few-day official take a look at to Malaysia, stated both equally countries’ pharmaceutical regulation companies have been functioning with each other on Covid vaccine regulation, with Australia funding the attempts to assure that the vaccines reaches the challenging to arrive at populations in Malaysia.

The newly sworn-in minister who hails from Sabah also said that the two-way trade involving both equally nations in agriculture, fisheries and forestry were being valued at about A$2 billion (RM6 billion) and has great possible for expansion.

“We supply additional than 10 for every cent of Malaysia’s dairy, extra than a quarter of its meat imports, and 80 per cent of Malaysia’s wheat imports.

“There is a great deal a lot more we can do, and I note that Australia and Malaysia have committed to get started preparatory operate on a normal evaluation of the Malaysia Australia No cost Trade Arrangement,” she explained in her speech through the networking brunch with government, business and civil societies in this article right now.

Also in attendance in the occasion is Malaysian Countrywide Information Company (Bernama) chairman Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Mohd Radzi, regional politicians and users of the diplomatic corps.

Commenting further more, Wong also suggested Malaysia and Australia to modernise trade marriage in order to choose up more options in the electronic economic system and handle cyber stability difficulties.

She stated Australia’s trade company, Austrade is doing the job with the Malaysian Digital Economic climate Corporation to encourage research collaboration, capability creating, and technologies exchange.

“And underneath our In depth Strategic Partnership, we are also expanding cooperation on cyber protection to counter new threats and unleash new alternatives,” she included.

Wong claimed upcoming week, officers from across Malaysian nationwide stability local community will convene in Putrajaya, Malaysia for the Digital Cyber Bootcamp — which is Australia’s flagship cyber capacity building action with regional associates to boost cyber resilience in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

“This is our first Bootcamp in Malaysia and will enable develop Malaysia’s capacity throughout the full breadth of cyber affairs, masking subjects these as crucial infrastructure, world wide cyber governance and the software of global regulation in cyberspace,” she added.

Before arriving in Malaysia, Wong was in Vietnam on Monday (June 27). Immediately after her appointment as the foreign minister early this month, she was in Indonesia with Australian Primary Minister Anthony Albanese. — Bernama