2ND BILATERAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE OF THE LOOK EAST POLICY 2.0 BETWEEN MALAYSIA AND JAPAN

KUALA LUMPUR, March 11 (Bernama) -- The Government of Japan and the Government of Malaysia held the 2nd Bilateral Coordinating Committee (BCC) Meeting of the Look East Policy 2.0 (LEP 2.0) on March 8, 2019 in Tokyo. The BCC was co-chaired by Mr. Shigeki Takizaki, Director-General of the Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Dato’ Sri Norazman Ayob, Deputy Secretary General (Trade) of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Malaysia, respectively. Officials from relevant government agencies from each side were also present at the meeting.

Both Governments hailed the efforts and contributions made by each Government since the 1st BCC meeting in 2016 and had successful discussions on the ongoing and future projects under the LEP 2.0 platform, namely the special preparatory program for Malaysian Government scholarship students, the LEP 2.0 training program, science and technology research partnership and bilateral cooperation projects.

Participants also welcomed the momentum for revitalising the Look East Policy following the appointment of Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, who is the founding father of the Look East Policy that was first advocated in 1982, as the 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia in May 2018. These reform initiatives will provide opportunities for Japan and Malaysia to deepen bilateral engagement and promote further collaboration, especially in the areas under the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Both countries acknowledged the need to incorporate new trends in the bilateral cooperation into the framework of LEP 2.0 so that LEP 2.0 reinforces its relevance as the platform for implementing the Look East Policy concept and projects.

The two countries also agreed to hold the 3rd BCC meeting in Malaysia next year.

[Note]

The Look East Policy was originally formulated in 1982 by Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, who was at that time, the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia. The Look East Policy celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 2012 and both the Prime Ministers of Japan and Malaysia had agreed a year later to establish a framework of the LEP 2.0.

Since its inception in 1982 and most notably since the 1st BCC Meeting in 2016, the Look East Policy has contributed significantly to enhancing the overall bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and Japan in many areas such as education, human resource development as well as science and technology.

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