Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian envoys abroad are now responsible for improving the country’s trading relations in addition to maintaining diplomatic ties with their host countries, said Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
Speaking to a gathering of senior media representatives today, he said this focus has been in place since last year, coinciding with Malaysia’s improving economic standing.
“So, like it or not, Wisma Putra or the government must take our economic foreign policy as our second pillar to ensure that representative in countries where we have embassies not only maintain bilateral relations but also to improve on mutual economic ties.
“New duties have been added to the delegations as they are senior government officers — many of our ambassadors are JUSA A or B, minimum C.
“So, we want them to be the gateway to diversify Malaysia's markets,” the minister also known as Tok Mat said.
He said the policy was intended to diversify Malaysia’s trading partners, preventing the country from being over-reliant on any single nation.
His remarks come amid the US’ increasingly erratic stance since Donald Trump returned as the president for a second time, and proceeded to trigger an unprovoked trade war with allies and rivals alike.
