Senate: US Did Not Raise Bumiputera Rights Issue In Signing Of ART - MITI

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 (Bernama) -- The United States (US) has never demanded or raised the issue of Bumiputera rights as one of the clauses in the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) between Malaysia and the US, said Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Liew Chin Tong.

He said, in this regard, there is no need to specifically state exemptions related to Bumiputera rights within the ART commitments.

"MITI (Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry) wishes to stress that the MADANI government has always and will continue to defend Bumiputera policies.

“There is no clause in the reciprocal trade agreement that grants privileges or Bumiputera rights to US companies,” he said when winding-up the debate on the Supply Bill (Budget) 2026 on behalf of the ministry in the Dewan Negara today.

Liew also emphasised that there is no clause in the ART that requires full liberalisation commitments for sensitive economic sectors that would require Malaysia to open access to US companies.

“The issue of government procurement is also not included within the scope of the ART commitments,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Liew said the ART does not set any restrictions on Malaysia joining any regional trade blocs such as BRICS.

“This agreement does not prevent Malaysia from joining any bloc, and the government’s policy is we are not aligned with America, we are not aligned with China.

“Our policy is active neutrality. We are in the middle — we need the US market and we need trade with China, but our stance is active neutrality,” he stressed.

Liew gave assurance that the government will continue to monitor the implementation of the ART, and any issues that arise will be discussed in joint committee meetings co-chaired by MITI and US trade representatives once it comes into effect.

“This is to ensure that it remains aligned with the nation’s interests,” he said.

-- BERNAMA