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European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Keynote speech by Commissioner Síkela at the High-level EU-Malaysia Business forum Bangkok, 13 October 2026 Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Let me start with a question: Do you have a phone in your pocket, or perhaps on the table in front of you? Just imagine how many semiconductor chips it contains. Up to a hundred of them - controlling ...
European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Keynote speech by Commissioner Síkela at the High-level EU-Malaysia Business forum Bangkok, 13 October 2026 Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Let me start with a question: Do you have a phone in your pocket, or perhaps on the table in front of you? Just imagine how many semiconductor chips it contains. Up to a hundred of them - controlling everything from computing and memory to cameras, connectivity, sound and power. And it is not just our phones. There are thousands of chips in our cars. They are in hospitals, factories, power grids and data centres. And they are at the heart of artificial intelligence and almost every technology that will shape our economies in the years ahead. Chips are now one of the foundations of the modern economy. And Malaysia is on its way to becoming a global semiconductor superpower. Today, it accounts for around 13% of global semiconductor assembly, testing and packaging and more than 7% of global semiconductor trade. This is a remarkable achievement. But the real question is how this economic success translates into better lives for the people who live here. The semiconductor industry can bring more technology, more skills and higher-value jobs. Malaysia understands this very well. Its National Semiconductor Strategy aims to train tens of thousands of highly skilled workers and move the country further towards chip design, advanced packaging and more sophisticated manufacturing. In other words: to create more value here in Malaysia – and with it, better jobs and more opportunities. And I am very pleased that Europe is part of this journey. Through Global Gateway and the European Investment Bank, Europe is supporting Dutch semiconductor company NXP in its almost €1 billion investment in Petaling Jaya. Today, we are taking another important step in financing this project. The investment will expand advanced semiconductor manufacturing, more than double production capacity at the site and create new high-value opportunities for Malaysian workers. This is what our partnership can achieve. Malaysia brings talent, industrial strength and ambition. Europe brings technology, investment and long-term partnership. And through Global Gateway, we can build on this model well beyond semiconductors. Take the Lumut Maritime Industrial City . Malaysia has embarked on an ambitious project to transform the Port of Lumut into a multi-purpose maritime, logistics and industrial hub. The EU is supporting this effort through Global Gateway, and I am particularly encouraged by the growing interest of European companies in its green port and industrial activities. The ambition is significant: new investment, new infrastructure and substantial job opportunities, while developing more sustainable maritime and industrial activities. Again, the logic is simple. Malaysia gains investment, jobs and infrastructure. Europe gains stronger supply chains, new markets and opportunities for European companies. Energy offers another opportunity. Malaysia is playing a leading role in developing the ASEAN Power Grid – connecting electricity systems across borders, strengthening energy security and enabling more renewable energy to enter the system. Europe has decades of experience integrating electricity markets across borders. Combined with European technology and investment, that experience can help turn this regional ambition into reality. The same applies to digitalisation. European companies are already contributing to Malaysia's 5G ecosystem. We want to deepen that partnership – building open, secure and trusted digital ecosystems, from connectivity and digital public infrastructure to cloud and artificial intelligence. And there is growing potential in critical raw materials, renewable energy, green hydrogen and biofuels. Across all these sectors, our ambition goes beyond hard infrastructure. We want investment to develop skills, create good jobs, strengthen local businesses and generate lasting value here in Malaysia. Ladies and gentlemen, What I have described is the Team Europe partnership offer . This is what Global Gateway is about. And I can hardly think of a better place to discuss partnership than Kuala Lumpur – a city where different cultures, traditions and ideas have met for generations. Malay, Chinese, Indian and Indigenous traditions. Mosques and Hindu temples. Modern skyscrapers and historic neighbourhoods. Malaysia's ability to connect different worlds is part of what makes this country such a natural partner for Europe. And our relationship is growing stronger. The EU is Malaysia's fourth-largest trading partner. We share a commitment to sustainable development, multilateralism and the rules-based international order. Malaysia is also a driving force in our broader partnership with ASEAN. And we have resumed negotiations on an EU–Malaysia Free Trade Agreement , which can unlock even more opportunities for trade, investment and growth. In a world of growing geopolitical and economic tensions, partnerships like this matter more than ever. If my career has taught me one thing, it is that a deal lasts only when both sides win. The business case for a stronger partnership between Malaysia and Europe is clear. Our task now is to translate it into concrete benefits – for Malaysia and for Europe. And everyone in this room can help make that happen. Look around you. Here today are Malaysian and European companies, financial institutions and governments. People working on semiconductors, artificial intelligence, energy and infrastructure – alongside those who set the rules, finance the projects and build the partnerships. So my ask to you today is simple. Use this forum to turn conversations into partnerships. Turn shared ambition into concrete projects. And together, let us turn those projects into an even stronger partnership between Malaysia and Europe. SPEECH/26/2130 <@rel_link@>
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