Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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140. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline Ireland's trading relationship with Malaysia; and the steps that are being taken to improve this relationship. [56066/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Malaysia is an important partner for Ireland and one of our largest trading partners in Southeast Asia. In line with the Government’s Asia Pacific Strategy, my Department aims to strengthen and deepen its engagement with countries in South East Asia, including Malaysia. Relations between the two countries are longstanding. The Irish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur was our first Embassy to open in Southeast Asia, in 1995.

In 2024, bilateral trade in goods between Ireland and Malaysia was over €3.2 billion, with an Irish trade surplus of over €2 billion. Trade in services in 2023 amounted to €2.2 billion, with exports totalling nearly €1.5 billion, with notable Irish strengths in software, training and business services. Service imports totalled €735 million.

There are over 100 Irish companies currently engaged with Malaysia, which is an increasingly important market for electronics and Irish agri-food products, such as dairy. Access to the Malaysian poultry market opened in September 2025, creating a new market for duck meat. The Education sector is an important one, with deepening linkages between Irish and Malaysian universities, and systematic engagement with the thousands of Malaysian alumni of Irish Institutions of Higher Education.

Irish goods exports to Malaysia have risen tenfold since 2021, reflecting the increased importance of supply chain trade between our countries, which have both been successful in attracting regional headquarters of important multinational companies, notably in high tech and life sciences. Investment by Irish companies in Malaysia is also significant, reflecting their pivotal position in their region.

The Embassy of Ireland in Kuala Lumpur promotes trade and investment between our two countries, in cooperation with a network of Irish agencies and interlocutors, such as Enterprise Ireland in Malaysia, and the IDA, and Bord Bia (via their regional offices in Singapore) as well as the Irish Chamber of Commerce in Malaysia. Senior officials from my Department held bilateral consultations with Malaysia in November 2024 in Malaysia, and had an open discussion on increasing trading opportunities between both countries, and agreements on concrete actions (such as work towards opening of the Malaysian poultry market).

My Department and the Embassy in Kuala Lumpur are continuing this work to advance our economic relationship with Malaysia, as part of an overall strong bilateral relationship.