Building Bridges: Strengthening Malaysia–Canada Trade, Innovation, and Collaboration - Spotlight Greater KL

Business

Building Bridges: Strengthening Malaysia–Canada Trade, Innovation, and Collaboration

President
Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Malaysia

1. Can you provide an overview of CanCham Malaysia – its mission, objectives, and key focus areas?

CanCham Malaysia, established in 1989, is a non-profit organisation dedicated to fostering trade and investment between Malaysia and Canada.
Its mission is to provide a vital business relationship platform by:

Expanding connections between Canadian and Malaysian businesses.
Serving as the preferred partner for the Canadian High Commission in trade activities.
Doing our part to grow Malaysia-Canada trade in a significant way.
Supporting the full spectrum of members from large corporations to small and medium enterprises.
Key focus areas include business networking and trade missions.

2. How does CanCham Malaysia view the current economic prospects of both Malaysia and Canada, particularly in the context of global shifts?

CanCham Malaysia views the current economic prospects of both Malaysia and Canada with cautious optimism, recognising the opportunities that lie within a rapidly evolving global landscape. The Chamber acknowledges that global shifts—ranging from trade realignments and geopolitical tensions to technological disruption and sustainability imperatives—are reshaping how nations engage economically.

For Malaysia, the outlook remains resilient. The country continues to demonstrate strong fundamentals, with GDP growth supported by domestic consumption, strategic investments in infrastructure and digital transformation, and deepening regional integration through frameworks like RCEP.

Canada, similarly, is leveraging its strengths in clean technology, agriculture, and aerospace to expand its global footprint. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) has significantly boosted bilateral trade between Malaysia and Canada, with a 41% increase reported in 2024 alone. This momentum reflects the growing synergy between both economies, particularly in areas such as halal food exports, sustainable innovation, and education.

CanCham Malaysia sees these developments as a foundation for deeper collaboration. As global supply chains recalibrate and nations seek more resilient partnerships, Malaysia and Canada are well-placed to co-create solutions that are inclusive, sustainable, and future-ready.

3. In your view, what are the most promising areas of collaboration between Malaysia and Canada in today’s evolving economic landscape?

Technology & Innovation: AI, fintech, ocean tech, marine security and smart city solutions in Greater KL.
Halal Industry: Canada’s agri-food expertise paired with Malaysia’s Halal certification leadership.
Green Economy: Renewable energy, waste management, and eco-products.
Multilateral Engagement & Trade Frameworks: CPTPP and Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy provide a foundation for trade liberalization and investment. In addition, the Canada-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (ACAFTA), currently under negotiation, is expected to conclude by the end of 2025, which could provide expanded market access.

4. Can you share any successful collaborations/partnerships/case studies between Malaysian and Canadian businesses?

Malaysia recorded a 25% increase in bilateral trade with Canada since 2018, bolstered by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which came into force for Malaysia in November 2022. Of note:

Blackberry Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence: Opened in Kuala Lumpur in 2024 in partnership with the Malaysian government.
RBC (Royal Bank of Canada): Operates a Centre of Excellence in Malaysia supporting global operations in investor services, wealth management and regulatory reporting.
CAE Inc.: Kuala Lumpur training center acts as a regional hub for aviation simulation and pilot training.
Aerospace & Advanced Manufacturing: Over 96 manufacturing projects with Canadian participation have been implemented, totaling US$274 million in investments and creating 11,000 jobs.
Halal Expo Canada and SIAL Canada (2022): Connected Malaysian Halal producers with Canadian markets.
Team Canada Trade Mission (TCTM) to Malaysia (2024): 160 Canadian companies attended the very first official mission organised by the Canadian government.
InvestKL Trade and Investment (TIM) Mission to Canada (2024 & 2025).

5. From your observation, which high-potential sectors in Greater KL are drawing interest from Canadian companies, especially in terms of innovation, talent access, and business ecosystem?

CanCham Malaysia observes growing Canadian interest in several sectors drawn by the country’s skilled talent pool, infrastructure and supportive business ecosystem:

Global Services: Greater KL is emerging as a regional hub for global business services and offers multilingual talent and cost-effective operations.
AI, Digital Innovation & Technology: Both countries are focusing on the emerging sectors of AI, quantum computing and IoT. Malaysia provides access to tech-savvy talent and startups in KL’s digital hubs.

6. How does CanCham Malaysia support Canadian companies exploring their business in Greater KL – Malaysia’s capital region and expanding its hub in other regions for high-value, innovation-driven industries?

Business Services: Trade mission arrangements, corporate events and market research.
Local Insights: Advisory committees and regional chapters to ease market entry.

7. Are there any initiatives or programs led by CanCham Malaysia to promote bilateral trade and investment between Malaysia and Canada?

Trade Missions: Organised visits for Malaysian firms exploring Canada and vice versa
Corporate Events: We regularly organise events and B2B visits for both Malaysian and Canadian companies to promote trade between the two countries.

8. What key challenges do Malaysian and Canadian companies typically face when entering a new market, and how can chambers like yours help to mitigate these?

● Market Knowledge: Low knowledge about the market and how to do business in the country, as well as a lack of local networks.
● Facilitation: CanCham provides policy advocacy, business matching and networking events to bridge these gaps.

9. How does CanCham Malaysia envision the future of economic relations between Malaysia and Canada, and what strategic role does the chamber play in shaping this future?

Malaysia and Canada have deepened their economic ties with bilateral trade increasing 41% year-on-year, reaching RM8.05 billion as of August 2024. MITI reports that bilateral trade has surged by 25% following CPTPP, with a 68.1% surge in Malaysian exports to Canada and a 16.8% rise in imports from Canada to Malaysia in key sectors of clean technology, agriculture and aerospace. We see the future as very positive with more growth in trade for the halal sector, digital economy and green energy transition.

CanCham aims to deepen ties by leveraging Malaysia’s ASEAN hub status and Canada’s innovation strengths, focusing on digital trade, green energy and SME partnerships. We will continue to support bilateral trade missions, roundtables and B2B matchmaking to connect businesses and promote people-to-people connections.

10. Are there any upcoming events or initiatives organised by CanCham Malaysia to foster networking or collaboration opportunities between Malaysian and Canadian businesses?

We have a number of activities planned for the remainder of this year:

CanCham is collaborating with Québec-based company Sponsorium to host a workshop at Petronas, KL to offer a practical training session on sponsorship strategies for business growth.
Migraventures Trade Mission to Malaysia in August 2025 is focused on immigration-linked investment opportunities in education and professional services. This opportunity connects Canadian service providers with Malaysian market entry specialists.
Quebec Day event in September in conjunction with the Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) ASEAN Forum.
CABC ASEAN Forum in Malaysia in September. Featuring keynote speakers from AI, aerospace and clean tech industries. In addition, we will host a Forum during this event on Doing Business in Malaysia.
In November, the Federation of Asian Canadians Toronto (FACT) is organizing a trade mission to Malaysia in conjunction with ASEAN Startup Week. This connects Canadian and Malaysian startups during ASEAN Startup Week and includes pitch sessions and one-on-one investor meetings for high-growth sectors.

Business

Bolstering the world’s cybersecurity, from the heart of Greater KL

Business

Building Bridges: Empowering Italy–Malaysia Business Synergies

Business

Malaysia takes a leadership role in driving holistic impact through sustainable investments