BY SYASYA SUFIAN
SHAH ALAM, NOV 23: Malaysia still has opportunity and positive growth in many areas even without the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).
Deputy President of Ikatan Ilmuan Nasional (IlMUAN), also known as the National Association of Scholars, Mazli Noor, said that even without TPPA, Malaysia still has the trade agreement ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
“Currently, AEC, which was in effective on 1 January, is developing at 4% per year.
“ACE offers a single market and production base for Asean countries, which among others, involves the free flow of goods, investment, capital and skilled labour,” he said.
Moreover, with China among the valued members of the RCEP; Malaysia has established channels to compete effectively in RCEP.
“But prior to this, we had been worried about the future of TPPA due to US President-elect Donald Trump not agreeing with the agreement.
“However, we will now see if Malaysia can increase its involvement in the AEC and RCEP, rather than worrying about TPPA; Malaysia’s economy could grow more rapidly and sustainably,” he said.
