The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, is today opening in Rome the Round Table on the Italy–Malaysia Economic Partnership, together with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Tengku Zafrul Aziz. The event will be attended by numerous members of the Malaysian Government, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohamad Hasan.
Malaysia is the third-largest economy in ASEAN and ranks second in terms of per capita income in the region after Singapore. With the most advanced infrastructure network in Southeast Asia, Malaysia hosts a highly developed microchip and semiconductor industry and is the world’s fifth-largest exporter of LNG.
In 2024, trade between Italy and Malaysia totalled €3.1 billion, with Italian exports rising by 23.4% (€1.7 billion). In the first quarter of 2025, bilateral trade saw a positive growth of 26% (€815 million) compared to the same period in 2024, particularly in the fields of energy transition, advanced industrial machinery, infrastructure, energy production, and defence.
Rome and Kuala Lumpur enjoy a long-standing and solid friendship, which the Italian Government is committed to further strengthening in light of the Action Plan for Italian exports. The Round Table represents a concrete opportunity to promote collaboration and mutual benefit for companies, especially in the context of the recently relaunched negotiations for an EU–Malaysia Free Trade Agreement.
Speakers at the event include Matteo Zoppas, President of ITA, Dario Scannapieco, CEO of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Alessandra Ricci, CEO of SACE, and Regina Corradini d’Arienzo, CEO of Simest. Also participating are over 50 selected high-level representatives from Italian companies and associations, alongside around 30 Malaysian firms.
