The visit solidified trust between the Malaysian government and the UAE government, along with leading Gulf companies, in a boost to economic cooperation.
The most significant achievement was the signing of the Malaysia-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which is expected to boost bilateral trade by at least 60% within the next five years.
It paves the way for similar agreements with other Gulf Cooperation Council member states including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, as well as with the GCC bloc collectively.
The three-day visit, which kicked off on Sunday, marked Awar’s second visit to the UAE since October 2023, and his first overseas trip since Malaysia assumed the Asean chairmanship for 2025.
During his visit to the UAE for the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2025 (ADSW 2025) at the invitation of UAE vice-president and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, he also met with the senior management of the UAE’s three major companies and sovereign wealth funds: the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia), Mubadala, and Masdar.
Masdar announced plans to invest in Malaysia through joint ventures with local companies in green energy, infrastructure, and battery energy storage, as well as to enhance the energy grid.
Adia, on the other hand, committed to investments aligned with Malaysia’s New Industrial Master Plan 2030 and the Madani Economy framework. This includes initiatives in the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) targeting advanced manufacturing, green technology, renewable energy, logistics, healthcare, the digital economy, and education.
The sovereign wealth fund is exploring the restructuring or potential privatisation of Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) with Khazanah Nasional, leveraging its expertise and collaborating with Global Infrastructure Partners and MAHB.
“Adia’s expertise will be a valuable asset to MAHB, and the government fully supports their participation,” said Anwar.
Mubadala’s discussions, meanwhile, centred on liquefied natural gas production, infrastructure development, and value chains for blue hydrogen and carbon capture, utilisation, and storage projects, alongside other projects in the JS-SEZ.
During the visit, Anwar also held meetings with UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi.
Anwar participated in a plenary session and dialogue promoting Malaysia’s 2025 Asean chairmanship and the theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability” at ADSW 2025.
He also engaged with youth at the Youth 4 Sustainability dialogue.
“This is just the beginning of 2025, and the positive outcomes of this visit will benefit the entire nation,” the prime minister said.