Macron to visit Malaysia on Nov 16–17 as ties with France deepen

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 — French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit Malaysia on November 16–17, said Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Sim Tze Tzin.

He said the relationship between Malaysia and France has reached another level following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to France last year, noting that Anwar has established a very good relationship with Macron.

“Datuk Seri Anwar visited France last year and subsequently invited President Macron to visit Malaysia. Macron accepted the invitation within a very short time, and the visit will take place on November 16 and 17, reflecting the growing closeness and strengthening bilateral relationship between the two countries,” he told the media at the Malaysian French Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s (CCIFM) Malaysia-France Gala Night 2026 here today.

He said Malaysia looks forward to Macron’s visit, which will provide an opportunity to further strengthen ties between Malaysian and French companies.

According to him, the bilateral relationship can continue to grow for many more years.

“Malaysia has a very long history with France. In the 1700s, the Sultan of Terengganu invited French traders and seafarers to come to Malaysia to trade.

“Today, we have about 600 French companies operating in Malaysia, including household names such as L’Oréal, Decathlon, Michelin, TotalEnergies and BNP Paribas,” he said.

Meanwhile, in his keynote address during the event, Sim said Malaysia is at advanced stage of negotiations on the Malaysia-European Union Free Trade Agreement (MEUFTA).

“We just concluded one of the negotiations in Brussels, in September.

“I think the discussion is continuing. Recently I received a delegation from Members of Parliament from the European Parliament and we had a further discussion. These are very exciting times for Malaysia and the EU, especially France. I think this is on the right track, in the right direction,” he said.

On October 13, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said Malaysia aims to sign MEUFTA by the end of June 2027, with nearly 80 per cent of negotiations having been completed.

Meanwhile, Ambassador of France to Malaysia, Marc Abensour, said Macron’s upcoming visit to Kuala Lumpur on November 16 and 17 marks an important opportunity to elevate bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.

“This first French presidential visit in nearly a decade will allow us to take our relationship to the next level and to elevate our bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership, aligning Malaysia with our key regional commitments alongside Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam.

“At the core of this relationship is the partnership for sovereignty. In an era where trade, energy, and technology are increasingly weaponised, economic security is paramount. We must secure critical value chains to strengthen our mutual resilience,” he said.

Abensour said both countries are also deepening their longstanding cooperation in defence, aerospace, energy transition, critical minerals and digital infrastructure, including undersea cables, data centres and semiconductors.

“Our economic ties have never been stronger. France is now the second largest European investor in Malaysia, with our investment value growing by 190 per cent over the last decade,” he said.

As it marked its 35th anniversary, CCIFM remains committed to helping French companies establish and expand their operations in the country while leveraging Malaysia as a strategic gateway to Southeast Asia.

Established in 1991, CCIFM has evolved into a key business platform connecting French and Malaysian companies, supporting market entry, facilitating investment and strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries.

Today, more than 600 French companies operate in Malaysia, supporting over 30,000 jobs and contributing to the country’s industrial, technological and economic development.

From aerospace, energy and advanced manufacturing to digital technologies, healthcare and professional services, French companies continue to play an important role in Malaysia’s economic transformation.

Malaysia-France bilateral trade reached RM22.5 billion in 2025. — Bernama

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吉隆坡，10月31日讯——马来西亚投资、贸易和工业部副部长沈志勤表示，法国总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙预计将于11月16日至17日访问马来西亚。

他表示，自马来西亚总理拿督斯里安华·易卜拉欣去年访问法国以来，马来西亚和法国的关系已经提升到了一个新的水平，并指出安华与马克龙建立了非常好的关系。

“安华去年访问法国后，邀请马克龙总统访问马来西亚。马克龙总统很快接受了邀请，访问将于11月16日至17日举行，这体现了两国日益密切的联系和不断加强的双边关系。”他今天在马来西亚法国工商会（CCIFM）举办的2026年马法联谊晚宴上对媒体表示。

他表示，马来西亚期待马克龙的访问，这将为进一步加强马来西亚和法国企业之间的联系提供机会。

他认为，双边关系可以继续发展很多年。

“马来西亚与法国有着非常悠久的历史。18世纪，登嘉楼苏丹邀请法国商人和水手来马来西亚进行贸易。

他说：“如今，大约有 600 家法国公司在马来西亚运营，其中包括欧莱雅、迪卡侬、米其林、道达尔能源和法国巴黎银行等家喻户晓的品牌。”

与此同时，沈先生在活动的主题演讲中表示，马来西亚与欧盟自由贸易协定（MEUFTA）的谈判已进入后期阶段。

“我们刚刚在布鲁塞尔结束了其中一场谈判，那是在九月份。”

“我认为讨论仍在继续。最近我接待了欧洲议会议员代表团，我们进行了进一步的讨论。这对马来西亚和欧盟，尤其是法国来说，都是非常激动人心的时刻。我认为这是朝着正确的方向前进的，”他说。

10月13日，投资、贸易和工业部长拿督斯里佐哈里·阿卜杜勒·加尼表示，马来西亚的目标是在2027年6月底之前签署中东和乌干达自由贸易协定（MEUFTA），目前谈判已完成近80%。

与此同时，法国驻马来西亚大使马克·阿本苏尔表示，马克龙将于11月16日至17日访问吉隆坡，这将是将双边关系提升为战略伙伴关系的重要契机。

“这是近十年来法国总统的首次访问，这将使我们能够把两国关系提升到一个新的水平，并将我们的双边关系提升到战略伙伴关系的水平，使马来西亚与我们在印度尼西亚、新加坡和越南等国的关键区域承诺保持一致。

“这一关系的核心是主权伙伴关系。在贸易、能源和技术日益武器化的时代，经济安全至关重要。我们必须保障关键价值链，以增强彼此的韧性，”他说道。

阿本苏尔表示，两国还在深化在国防、航空航天、能源转型、关键矿产和数字基础设施（包括海底电缆、数据中心和半导体）等领域的长期合作。

他说：“我们的经济联系从未如此紧密。法国现在是马来西亚第二大欧洲投资国，过去十年里，我们的投资额增长了190%。”

在成立 35 周年之际，CCIFM 仍然致力于帮助法国公司在马来西亚建立和扩大业务，同时利用马来西亚作为通往东南亚的战略门户。

CCIFM成立于1991年，现已发展成为连接法国和马来西亚企业的重要商业平台，支持市场准入，促进投资，并加强两国之间的经济合作。

如今，超过 600 家法国公司在马来西亚开展业务，支持超过 3 万个就业岗位，并为该国的工业、技术和经济发展做出了贡献。

从航空航天、能源和先进制造业到数字技术、医疗保健和专业服务，法国公司在马来西亚的经济转型中继续发挥着重要作用。

马来西亚与法国的双边贸易额预计到2025年将达到225亿令吉。——马新社

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