Investment and trade to gain prominence alongside labour market

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will attend a formal meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya on Monday morning.

Discussions will focus on strengthening the relations between the two nations, including topics like labor markets, trade and investment expansion, energy cooperation, halal economy, semiconductor industry, and issues like agriculture, education, and public communication.

Four months after taking office as Prime Minister, following his victory in the national elections in February, Tarique Rahman has embarked on his first state visit abroad. Invited by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, he arrived in Kuala Lumpur Sunday night.

On the second day of the two-day visit, Tarique Rahman will first hold a private meeting with Anwar Ibrahim and then a delegation-level meeting.

After the discussions, a number of agreements, including memorandums of understanding, will be signed in the presence of both Prime Ministers. Following this, the two leaders will participate in a joint press conference.

Today, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will have a busy schedule in Malaysia's capital, Putrajaya.

After the official meetings, he will attend a state banquet hosted by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in his honour. Subsequently, he will meet with Malaysia's King, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.

Accompanying the Prime Minister on his Malaysia visit is First Lady Zubaida Rahman.

Other members of the delegation include Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury, the Prime Minister's Economic and Planning Advisor Rashed Al Mahmoud Titumir, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Rashiduzzaman Millat, State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit, the Prime Minister's Education, Primary and Mass Education, Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Affairs Advisor Mahdi Amin, the Prime Minister's Foreign, Disaster Management and Relief Affairs Advisor Humaiun Kobir, and the Prime Minister's Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, and Science and Technology Affairs Advisor Rehan Asif Asad.

In the afternoon, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will leave Kuala Lumpur for a five-day visit to China.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had received invitations from India, Malaysia, and China. Initially, there were hints that the first visit might be to China. However, sources say the government was particularly cautious in selecting the destination for the Prime Minister's first foreign visit, considering regional geopolitics and the India-China rivalry.

Thus, instead of Delhi or Beijing, opting for a third country was given importance. Diplomatic observers believe the destination of the Prime Minister's first state visit is more than just a matter of protocol; it also sends a symbolic message about the new government's foreign policy priorities

In that context, choosing Malaysia over India or China can be seen as an effort to maintain balance amid regional competition.

In choosing Malaysia over China or India for the initial visit, the government considered the historical trajectory of the bilateral relationship between the two countries, bilateral relevance, and Malaysia's influence in ASEAN.

According to geopolitical analyst and President of the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS), Major General (Retd.) ANM Muniruzzaman, considering the overall diplomatic context, choosing Malaysia as the destination for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's first state visit is positive. Trade and economic cooperation with long-standing and close friend Malaysia are steadily increasing. For Bangladeshi workers, the Muslim-majority country is an important destination.

Unlike many other countries, Bangladesh''s relationship with different nations is often considered from the backdrop of one or more issues rather than in a broader context. Therefore, the breadth and potential of bilateral relations sometimes go unnoticed. For instance, in discussions about relations with Malaysia, attention often centres on sending workers from Bangladesh or labour market issues.

Over the last decade, Malaysia is considered the second primary destination for new Bangladeshi workers abroad, after Saudi Arabia.
Several Bangladeshis, both past and present, who have worked in specialized roles in Malaysia, have reported that currently, nearly 1 million Bangladeshi workers are working in Southeast Asian country Malaysia, both legally and illegally.

The country has announced a new industrial plan, the New Industrial Master Plan or NIMP 2030. The main objective of this development plan is to boost production of high-tech industries. It emphasizes ensuring a sustainable environment while maintaining competitiveness on a global scale.

Bangladesh's High Commissioner to Malaysia, Manjurul Karim Khan Chowdhury, told Prothom Alo that due to the new industrial policy in Southeast Asian countries, the traditional mode of recruiting workers is changing. The market for the type of workers Bangladesh sends is shrinking.

"Thus, we have begun discussions about hiring skilled and semi-skilled workers from Bangladesh. Special emphasis is being placed on the protection and welfare of Bangladeshi workers," he added.

It is known that the discussion between the Prime Ministers of the two countries will focus on sending workers from Bangladesh, legal recruitment, workers' rights, and creating new opportunities.

Sources in Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur have indicated that alongside worker recruitment and business trade, there is a special focus on cooperation in the education sector.

Several diplomats have informed this correspondent that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has emphasised advancing cooperation in the education sector between the two nations. At this moment, there are at least 11,000 Bangladeshi students studying in Malaysia. Among foreign students in Malaysia, Bangladeshis rank second, with Chinese students accounting for around 62,000.

In terms of cooperation in the education sector, both countries are discussing topics like student exchange, joint research, and investment in establishing universities in Bangladesh by Malaysia's public and private universities.

Malaysia is not just a labour market for Bangladesh. It is also a vital investment partner. In terms of business-trade investment, Malaysia holds significance among Southeast Asian countries. For a long time, Malaysia has been investing in Bangladesh's telecommunications sector through Robi Axiata. Hence, alongside the education sector, there are opportunities for cooperation in digital infrastructure, industry, and technology sectors as well.

Diplomatic sources reveal that discussions are scheduled between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and heads of three major Malaysian corporations about investing in ports in Bangladesh, enhancing the capacity of airports, and investing in various forms of energy production.

They are set to meet the Prime Minister separately on Monday afternoon in Kuala Lumpur. These figures include MMC Ports Chairman Tajuuddin Atan, AirAsia Chairman Jamaluddin Ibrahim, and Petronas Group Chairman Mohammad Baki Saleh.

The relationship between Bangladesh and Malaysia began in 1972. Besides shared bilateral issues, both countries hold similarities in several regional and international matters. For instance, Malaysia has been actively involved in resolving the Rohingya issue for a long time. Although fewer in number compared to Bangladesh, there are Rohingya refugees present in Malaysia, joining Bangladesh in long-term cooperation to address this matter.

Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have stated that Bangladesh has been trying to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for quite some time. Bangladesh seeks active cooperation from Malaysia in this regard, especially in seeking dialogue partnership in ASEAN and participation in the world's largest trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Professor M Niaz Asadullah, who taught for over a decade (2013-24) at the University of Malaya and Monash University in Malaysia's Economics Department, believes that the relations between the two countries should be viewed in terms of ''skill, education, and technology-driven partnership, '' rather than just through the lens of expatriate labour.

M Niaz Asadullah told Prothom Alo that Bangladesh can be an important partner for Malaysia in higher education, skilled workforce, technology, and investment. If Malaysia seeks to fulfill its goal of transforming into a high-income nation, it has the opportunity to involve skilled engineers, technologists, and researchers from Bangladesh. In particular, cooperation between the two countries in semiconductor and electronics industries and production sectors can reach new levels.