KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 — The United States 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 Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Liew Chin Tong.
He said there is thus no need to specifically state exemptions related to Bumiputera rights within ART commitments.
“MITI (Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry) wishes to stress that the Madani government has and will always 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 regional trade blocs such as BRICS.
“This agreement does not prevent Malaysia from joining any bloc, and the government’s policy is that 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.
He assured that the government will continue to monitor the implementation of the ART, and issues that arise will be discussed in joint committee meetings co-chaired by MITI and US trade representatives once the deal comes into effect.
“This is to ensure that it remains aligned with the nation’s interests,” Liew said.
