KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 — The Malaysian government will continue to engage in government-to-government economic cooperation and attract more Chinese companies to invest in the local automotive sector.

At the same time, the automotive sector also needs to ensure that its ecosystem is aligned with the United Nation’s environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) goals which reflects the requirement of the future, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

"The founder and chairman of Geely Holding Group, Eric Li mentioned to me about the immediate initiative for transition, (including) having electric vehicles (EV) alongside petroleum and gas (powered vehicles).

"(This) would facilitate the transition (to EV) and looking pragmatically into the change and undertaking the task,” he said during the launch of Proton Holdings Bhd’s (Proton) first mild-hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV) model, the Proton X90 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre here today.

Anwar also urged Proton to move forward and reclaim its position as a leading automotive company, making Malaysia a hub for exports.

He said that based on his discussions with Li, in order for Proton-Geely to excel, the focus should be on quality training in areas that Malaysians may not be too familiar with.

"Geely is also prepared to support a major training programme for Malaysians in Proton to excel and enhance their abilities,” he added.

In February 2020, the government launched the National Automotive Policy (NAP) 2020 to develop Malaysia as a regional automotive hub for energy-efficient vehicles (EEVs), including EVs.

The NAP outlined specific strategies and initiatives to boost the adoption of EEVs and the EV ecosystem, spur technology transfers and develop the know-how for the local automotive industry to continue to thrive. — Bernama