Among the big players he has held discussions with are tech giants Ericsson and Microsoft, which were represented by CEO Borje Ekholm and executive vice-president Jean-Philippe Courtois respectively.
“It has been great so far. As you know, the 2023 WEF has about 2,700 leaders from 130 countries. I am looking forward to more bilateral meetings, especially with my counterparts,” he said when asked on a string of engagements and bilateral meetings he has had since arriving here on Monday.
He said that at the meetings with Ekholm and Courtois, potential investment and expansion by their companies in Malaysia were among the matters discussed.
The minister also met with Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro) chairman and CEO Nobuhiko Sasaki and Dow Jones & Company CEO Almar Latour.
He said that during the bilateral meetings thus far, the conversations were on opportunities in Malaysia.
“Some of the companies we met have already been investing in Malaysia for a while but want to ensure that their investments are protected. We also spoke about the potential for expanding their operations and increasing their investments in Malaysia,” he told Bernama yesterday at the ski resort town.
He said the conversations he has had with the multinationals also touched on what Malaysia could offer them.
“So, with the new government, we are looking at stability and we also spoke about Malaysia’s prospects,” he said.
Besides that, Malaysian companies are also expanding abroad and these multinationals can assist them in the endeavour, the minister said.
On the presence of “Malaysia House” for the first time at the WEF, he said it is a good approach for the country’s presence to be felt.
“Other countries have taken this approach many years ago. We need our presence felt — a stronger presence than before,” he said.
Tengku Zafrul is leading the Malaysian delegation to the WEF.
Among the sessions that he is scheduled to attend are the cost of economic fragmentation, supply chain and transport as well as one titled “Living with Risk” where he will be one of the three panelists.
Tengku Zafrul will also participate in a two-panel session on “Global Trade: Navigating The Post Pandemic Supply Chain Challenge” together with Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, group chairman and CEO of Dubai-based DP World.
The session will focus on whether macroeconomic forces — such as inflation, geopolitical tensions, spikes in commodity prices, supply chain disruptions and capacity constraints — will continue into 2023 and how companies can create more resilient supply chains.