SHAH ALAM, Jan 29 — The federal government has assured that the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade Agreement (ART) with the United States will not alter Malaysia’s nuclear policy direction or restrict cooperation with other nuclear technology suppliers.
Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said Article 5.3 of the ART does not bind Malaysia to rely exclusively on US nuclear technology or materials.
Instead, Malaysia is free to procure nuclear reactors, nuclear fuel or related nuclear materials from other countries if they offer more competitive technical and commercial terms.
“Article 5.3 of the ART must be read in full. While the opening provision may appear to limit Malaysia’s ability to procure nuclear reactors and material from ‘certain countries’, the latter part of the clause allows Malaysia to make procurement decisions based on commercial, technical and security considerations, in line with national interests.
“As such, the article does not pose any barrier to Malaysia establishing relations and cooperation with technology-supplying countries in various nuclear-related areas, including training, research, capacity building, nuclear safety and radiation matters.
“The government stresses that Malaysia’s sovereignty over its energy and nuclear policies remains intact,” he said in a parliamentary written reply yesterday.
Fadillah, who is also deputy prime minister, was responding to a question from Suhaizan Kaiat (Harapan-Pulai) on whether Article 5.3 of the ART would limit Malaysia’s nuclear policy and affect its cooperation with countries such as Russia, China, France and South Korea.
Previously, the government said it is being proactive by conducting impact analyses on the ART to identify sectors that may require adjustments in strategy or policy support.
The government has also developed several strategies to mitigate the impact of tariff implementation on the country’s export and investment performance.
