Organized by TITA and TAITRA, the "Taiwan Smart Technology Solutions Connect 2026" officially opened today (12th) at the Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, marking another milestone in Taiwan–Malaysia smart industry cooperation.
The event drew a distinguished gathering of government and industry leaders, including Dr. Lien Yu-Ping, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia; Ms. Toh Kit Ying, Director of the MATRADE; Mr. Jacob Lee Chor Kok, President of FMM; and Mr. Quah Soon Kooi, Director of the Industrial Automation Business Group at Delta Electronics Malaysia. Their presence underscored the strong alignment between Taiwan's smart technology capabilities and Malaysia's industrial demand, lending significant weight to the occasion.
In her opening remarks, Representative Lien highlighted that bilateral trade between Taiwan and Malaysia reached USD 57.4 billion in 2025—a remarkable 32.3% year-on-year increase—elevating Taiwan to Malaysia's 4th largest trading partner, 7th largest source of foreign direct investment, and 3rd largest foreign-investment source for job creation. She emphasized that Taiwan's global leadership in wafer fabrication and advanced semiconductor processes complements Malaysia's strengths in assembly, testing, and electronics manufacturing services (EMS), forming a highly synergistic foundation across the semiconductor supply chain.
Representative Lien noted that Taiwan is actively selecting its investment partners, and called on the Malaysian government to swiftly initiate negotiations on updating the Taiwan–Malaysia Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA)—a framework in place for over three decades—to provide a more robust legal environment for Taiwanese investment and unlock genuine win-win cooperation.
This year's Connect 2026 brought together 26 leading Taiwanese smart technology enterprises and attracted over 165 Malaysian industry representatives. Through a three-in-one format combining forums, technology showcases, and business matchmaking, the event substantially deepened collaborative momentum across the Taiwan–Malaysia smart industry value chain.
Backed by a comprehensive ICT ecosystem and proven system integration expertise, Taiwan has evolved from a key technology supplier into the strategic partner of choice for Malaysian enterprises pursuing AI implementation. Looking ahead, Taiwan will continue to strengthen its smart technology linkages with Southeast Asia, joining hands with regional partners to shape Asia's intelligent future.
