Niaga Spotlight: Is Malaysia’s export model at risk?

Global trade is entering a more volatile phase — and Malaysia is right in the middle of it.
The United States has launched a Section 301 investigation into 16 economies for “structural excess capacity” in manufacturing, a move that could reshape how major economies assess export-driven industries and supply chains. For a country like Malaysia, where manufacturing and electronics exports remain central to growth, the implications go well beyond tariffs.
Tehmina Kaoosji speaks with Jacob Lee Chor Kok, President, Federation of Malaysian Manufacturing (FMM) and Dr Juita Mohamad, Senior Lecturer in Economics at Universiti Malaya, to unpack what this investigation really signals about the future of global trade.
Is the world moving toward a more protectionist system where geopolitics shapes market access? How exposed is Malaysia’s export-led manufacturing model? And in a fragmented trading environment, where should Malaysian companies and policymakers position themselves next?
Catch the full conversation on Niaga Spotlight as we unpack what these shifts mean for Malaysia’s trade strategy and manufacturing future in a changing global order.