FRANKFURT, January 10 — Germany, Europe’s strongest economy, bought more Malaysian products in the first 11 months of 2017 over the corresponding period of 2016, according to data provided by Malaysian External Trade Development Corp’s (Matrade)office here.

Malaysia’s export figures for the full 2017 year were not available as of early January.

Malaysia’s exports to Germany in the January-November 2017 period jumped 20.3 per cent to RM24.24 billion, compared with RM22.29 billion in the same period of 2016.

While Malaysia’s exports rose steeply, Malaysia’s imports from Germany also increased in the same period to RM24 25 billion, up from RM 23.78 billion in the year-earlier period.

The jurisdiction of Matrade’s Frankfurt office covers Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria. Germany and France are Malaysia’s leading trading partners in the European Union (EU).  

Malaysia’s exports to the EU during the January-November 2017 period amounted to RM86.9 billion while imports from the EU in the same period amounted to RM70.60 billion.

Malaysia’s total global exports (January-November 2017) jumped to RM856 billion, up 20.4 per cent from RM786 96 billion in the 2016 corresponding period.

Malaysia’s global imports in the January-November period amounted to RM766 billion, up 21.2 per cent over the 2016 corresponding period.

In an interview with Bernama here, where the world’s largest home-textile show, called Heimtextil 2018 trade fair, is currently being held and there are several Malaysian businessmen at the exhibition ground, Malaysian Trade Commissioner, Badrul Hisham Hilal, said electrical and electronic products continued to be the largest export category, though other promising export items were petroleum products, chemicals and chemical products, etc.

"The buoyancy in Malaysia’s global exports is also due to the strong demand for our products in the major markets which have been posting robust growth,” Badrul said.

He said that interaction between Malaysian and German companies would intensify in the coming months.

"A signpost in that direction is provided by the growing number of business delegations that will be visiting Germany and other countries in Matrade Frankfurt’s jurisdiction,” he said.

Badrul said a delegation comprising of representatives of companies supplying electronics for the motor vehicle industry was slated to visit Germany in March.

"We are working out the details of the programme and the delegation will visit Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich,” he said.  

The German car manufacturers, who had set up a well-established supply chain, sourced their requirements through their Tier-1 suppliers who, in turn, bought from overseas suppliers, including from Malaysia, he said.  

Badrul said the coming delegation would adopt a different approach in regard to German buyers this time.

Instead of meeting buyers in a hotel, they would be meeting them at their premises, he said.

He said German trade shows also served as an important vehicle for export promotion.

"A large contingent of Malaysian suppliers of industrial products and spare-parts will be participating in the Hannover Industrial Fair which will be held in April.

"This will be followed by Malaysian companies’ participation in June in the Power Gen, an event dedicated to the power-generating industry, in Vienna, Austria. A large contingent of Malaysian food exhibitors will be showcasing their products at the Salon International de l'Agroalimentaire food trade fair in Paris.  

"The Medica 2018 (medical devices) fair, to be held in November in Duesseldorf, where one Malaysian company bagged a huge order for 50 containers during the Medica 2017 event, is expected to witness a sizeable participation of Malaysian companies who will be participating under a special Malaysian pavilion to be set up at the event,” he said. — Bernama