KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 28 — Malaysia and China signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on digital telecommunications cooperation at the International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 in Romania today.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the MoU was signed by him and China’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Zhang Yunming.

"The fields of cooperation agreed upon by Malaysia dan China under this MoU are related to 5G, digital economy and cyber security,” he said in a statement tonight.

He added that both countries are expected to explore potential cooperation in 5G app technology, and encourage partnerships in e-commerce, startup innovations, cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, internet applications and other digital technology.

Other forms of cooperation would be in terms of policy, standards, emergency response, data security technology, training and awareness of cyber security.

Annuar said the cooperation is expected to add value to Malaysia when China’s rapidly developing information technology industry is considered. Both countries would benefit from sharing knowledge and expertise in the field of 5G, cyber security and the digital economy.

China’s assistance in sharing best practices, experience and expertise through joint initiatives will help improve the speed and readiness of Malaysia’s cyber security ecosystem and national digitalisation efforts, especially in preparation for the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era.

Commitments for knowledge exchange and best practices between both countries would not only improve competitiveness and stimulate the growth of the national digital economy but would also attract investment in developing human capital and research, he added.

He said the cooperation would help Malaysia to strengthen its digital economy and indirectly spur local digital economic growth and contribute to the national economy in the future, in line with the agenda of turning Malaysia into a high technology industry hub. — Bernama