Malaysian PM Najib's Official Visit To Germany To Cover Beyond Bilateral Issues

By Saraswathi Muniappan KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Najib Razak's maiden visit to Germany as the country's premier is set to cover beyond bilateral issues, says German Ambassador to Malaysia Holger Michael. He said the visit would be a good opportunity to discuss matters of mutual interest in the areas of regional security, international crime and terrorism as both Germany and Malaysia have had terrorism-related threat, for instance, from the Daesh. "For a start, we can share each other's experience and information in the areas of de-radicalisation and prevention (of Daesh threats) and perhaps later cooperation," he said when asked whether both nation's would look into the set up of a terrorism prevention outfit. He said such discussion was crucial not only in the international platforms but also within bilateral sphere as terrorism-related threat was not only confined to security-related matters but also posed a major risk factor for economic growth. Michael told this to Bernama in an interview ahead of Najib's three-day visit to Germany's capital Berlin and port city Wismar, starting from Sept 26. Najib, who is also Finance Minister is visiting the largest economy in Europe, on the invitation of its Chancellor, Angela Merkel. Besides a bilateral meet with Merkel, the prime minister is also scheduled to have a dialogue session with German business leaders as well as a courtesy call on Professor Norbert Lammert, President of the Bundestag. The visit is expected to further strengthen both countries bilateral ties, not only in trade and investment but also education, he added. "Germany's engagement in education and vocational training goes a long way. We have about 100 partnerships with universities in Malaysia," he informed. He said there were also double degree programmes between German universities and at present, about 1,000 Malaysian students were studying in Germany. One of the many success stories is the German-Malaysia Institute (GMI), a hub for advanced skills training, which was established here in 1991. He said students of GMI spent 60-70 per cent of their programme attached to a company while class room studies accounted the other 30-40 per cent. "At the company, it's all about practical training. So, after three years of the special training course, these students are extremely well-versed and in practical experiences in the companies, so they are taken away by the market immediately. There's no need for the hiring companies to train." "We need (both) education and training in order to add more value to the production. The quality and the sustainability of the production process, these are the criteria for modern economies which will compete internationally." As for investments, he pointed out that some German companies have invested in the country even before the foundation of nowaday Malaysia. The investments are in the areas of electronics, car building, chemical and more recently medical technologies. Notable German firms which already have strong presence for decades include Volkswagen, BMW, BASG, Osram, Mercedes, Audi, Deutsche Bank, Siemens AG, Bosch and Infineon. Michael said there has been a steady increase in German investments here. "German companies are long-term investors. They evaluate their investment decisions very carefully and have the long-term perspective in mind," he maintained. They need assurance about the consistency of good governance and they rely on the rule of law, fairness in the court and independence of the legal institutions, including the legal professions, he explained. "We are (also) glad to see an increase in investment of Malaysian companies in Germany in the recent years, we have had major investments of palm-oil processing companies as well as another large investment from Genting," he remarked. Genting Hong Kong Ltd acquired three shipyards in Wismar, Warnemunde and Stralsund in Germany for US$251.39 million (RM1.04 billion) in 2015. (US$1 = RM4.13) The purchase from Nordic Yard, is to boost Genting's presence in the industry and succeed as one of the best cruise and mega yacht shipbuilder. Besides Germany's attractiveness for investment, the acquisition also showcases German strength in shipbuilding, he said. Malaysia is Germany's second biggest trading partner in ASEAN with a bilateral trade volume of 11.8 billion euro (1 euro = US$1.12) The German statistics indicated imports from Malaysia in 2015 of 7 billion euro, higher by 13.8 per cent when compared to 2014. Germany imported electronics, electrotechnical goods measurement and control technology, textiles and clothes as well as chemical products. German exports to Malaysia in 2015 stood at 4.8 billion euro, up by 0.4 per cent compared with 2014. Among the exports were electronics, machinery, chemical products, cars and car parts and electrotechnical products. -- BERNAMA