CYBERJAYA (Sept 9): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said on Monday that he had received an "appreciation" letter from US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, following the government's cooperation in investment by US airplane manufacturer Boeing in Malaysia.
Anwar said this reflects the confidence of international companies to continue to invest in Malaysia, despite perceived changes in the country's foreign policies.
"This morning (Monday), I received a letter from the US secretary of commerce, who expressed her high appreciation to us for working together to allow them to invest through Boeing in Kedah," the prime minister said during his speech at the launch of the Public-Private Partnership Masterplan 2030 (Pikas 2030).
While acknowledging that Malaysia had been approaching other economic powers such as China and Russia, Anwar assured that the country remains close with its traditional partners, including Asean, Europe and the US.
"They (the US) are confident in the ability of our policies, although sometimes some are worried, because there seems to be a slight shift in terms of foreign policy.
"I would like to stress that Malaysia's foreign policy remains independent, some say centrality. This centrality is the pillar of the country's foreign policy. [We] take a more pragmatic approach," Anwar added.
Last month, Boeing rebranded and relaunched its manufacturing facility in Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah, as Boeing Composites Malaysia, following its full acquisition of Aerospace Composites Malaysia in December last year.
The move marks the Kedah facility as Boeing's first wholly owned manufacturing facility in Southeast Asia.
The manufacturing facility provides composite products and subassemblies for all of Boeing's commercial airplane models, including the 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner. The site employs an all-Malaysian workforce of approximately 1,000 people, according to reports.