THE DYNAMICS OF MALAYSIA-FRANCE BILATERAL RELATIONS

From Ahmad Kamil tahir

PARIS, July 2 (Bernama) -- The number of Malaysians staying in France is
barely 1,000, most of them students but beyond the small number, Malaysia's
relations with this western European country are growing on multiple fronts.

Apart from higher education, cooperation between both countries covers areas
like defence, trade and industry, among the most visible.

Malaysian ambassador to France S. Thanarajasingam said the frequent visits
to France by Malaysian leaders were a testimony to the strong relations
between both countries.

"Authorities from both countries are committed to enhancing contacts at all
levels," he told Malaysian journalists covering the three-day visit of Deputy
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, which ended Wednesday.

He said Malaysia was France's key partner in Southeast Asia and that the
French government had always appreciated Malaysia's roles in Asean and in the
Asia-Pacific region.

Muhyiddin described his first visit to the country as deputy prime minister
as an important chapter in nurturing Kuala Lumpur-Paris relations.

He said during his meetings with several French politicians and corporate
leaders, it was clear that they wanted the relations to remain vibrant.

"They are following the development in Malaysia closely and they have also
shown interest on the initiatives taken by the government in handling economic,
political and social issues.

"I've also explained to them the approach taken by the government in
managing the country's diversity," he said.

It was therefore important, he said, that both countries continued to
organise visits by top leaders.

Muhyiddin said that in October, Prime Minister Najib Razak would visit
France to attend a Unesco conference where he would be delivering a keynote
address.

There are 165 French companies currently operating in Malaysia, among them
Lafarge which operates in the cement industry, Tachnip (infrastructure for oil
and gas exploration), Alcatel (telecommunication), Alstom (energy and railway
equipment), Carrefour (mass marketing), Thales (civilian and military
electronics) and automobile companies Peugeot, Renault and Citroen.

Malaysian and French companies had also signed contracts, among them are the
Malaysia Airlines' purchase of six Airbus A380 aeroplanes and AirAsia's purchase
of 200 A320 and A350 aeroplanes.

Malaysia had also purchased two French-made Scorpene-class submarines.

Educational, scientific and cultural exchanges between Malaysia and France
are developing rapidly in the past years, notably in the academic field.
-- BERNAMA