Amir added that Malaysia’s advantage lies in its reliability and established ecosystem, which he said sets it apart from other supply chain players.

“So the differentiation that Malaysia brings is its reliability, its ecosystem. It is a supply chain mechanism that is very different from most other players.

“We are not at the top end of the supply chain, which requires a wider capital base and deeper knowledge base and so on. So we are not a threat to the aspirations of the US who wants to bring a lot of things back home,” he said.

He also clarified that Malaysia is not competing at the low end of the chain, which offers insufficient margins.

“Neither are we at the bottom end of the chain which is not a good enough margin for us. So what we’re doing is stay in the middle, but grow a little bit more of the margin. Take inside it and increase the complexity of the economy,” Amir said.

The minister said that by strengthening its mid-tier position, Malaysia can boost its economic resilience while enhancing the broader value chain.

“And as we do more of that, we strengthen the value chain, and the economy is able to sustain going forward,” he said.