- Negotiations
Having signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement on 10 May 2004, the US and Malaysia agreed in early 2006 to start negotiating a bilateral Free Trade Agreement. US negotiators indicated that they expected to conclude talks by the end of 2006 but that was not to be.
The Malaysian government has been putting up a fight on various issues such as government procurement (which Malaysia does not want to open to US participation) and its Bumiputra policy (giving special preferences to ethnic Malays). Social movements, on the other hand, reject the talks particularly in terms of the implications of a deal on access to medicines, intellectual property and Malaysia’s autonomy to set policies. The negotiations have stalled since 2009, and are now effectively on ice.
last update: May 2012
Photo: Third World Network
3-Jul-2006
A US-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will provide a strategic foothold for US companies in Malaysia’s growing high technology, telecommunications and financial services sectors, says a US diplomat.
30-Jun-2006
Malaysia’s textile and garment industry is looking forward to a US-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to help boost exports.
29-Jun-2006
The ongoing Malaysia-US free trade agreement (FTA) talks can be concluded within the schedule of meetings lined up till the end of the year, says Howard F. Rosen, the executive director of the US-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) Trade Adjustment Assistance Coalition.
26-Jun-2006
Malaysia and the United States would not have entered into any free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations if there is no likelihood of the agreement being concluded, says Howard Rosen, executive director of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Coalition, a non-governmental organisation.
26-Jun-2006
Malaysia will protect its interests when negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) with the US, Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz says.
20-Jun-2006
A 98-page outline of US industry recommendations for the proposed US-Malaysia FTA.
20-Jun-2006
Letter from the US Biotechnology Industry Organisation to the US Trade Representative on intellectual property, GM labelling, biosafety, GM contamination and other issues BIO wants addressed under the US-Malaysia FTA talks.
17-Jun-2006
Daily Times
The American-backed FTA is certainly not designed to serve the interest of ordinary Malaysian or American workers (it may well lead to the practice of dumping and out-sourcing instead), but it will invariably open up the Malaysian economy to the rigours and discipline of the global market.
17-Jun-2006
Business Times
The US is pleased with the progress of the first round of the US-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, and expects it to conclude by the end of the year, after four more rounds.
14-Jun-2006
FTA Malaysia
Given the lack of transparency and accountability in the on-going negotiations and the strong likelihood of an imbalanced outcome in the US-Malaysia FTA negotiations, we urgently call on the government to halt all further negotiations until a comprehensive cost-benefit assessment is done.