“Our relationship with Malaysia is good, it’s strong and it is going to get even better. We have been friends for a long time.

“So we have a solid relationship and we will continue working on it,” she told the press when met on the sidelines of the Pitch@Palace event in Mandarin Oriental here.

Commenting on the global market’s volatility resulting from the UK’s surprising decision to exit EU in the Brexit referendum last Thursday, Treadell said that was expected as the market did not respond well to surprises.

“But it is our job to restore that confidence, to do the right things, and to keep on with our good economic policies that have seen Britain rising to become one of the strongest economies in Europe.

“Now we have to work towards regaining and maintaining that position.”

International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed had last Friday said although the UK might no longer be part of the currently negotiated Malaysia-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Malaysia would explore the possibility of having a separate bilateral FTA with the country.

To this, Treadell said the UK would rightly want to establish its own bilateral FTAs and when the time came, it would like to do so with countries like Malaysia.

“The first thing we have to remember is that nothing has immediately changed. The British people have given the Government a view on the direction they want it to take.

“Today, Britain is still a member of the EU and its place in the world hasn’t changed. We are still active in the world and we will not stop.

“We know what our ambitions are as a country, and we know that the economic fundamentals are still strong in Britain.”