History
MFTC's Profile
Malaysia established a consular office in Taipei since early 1960s. Following the closure of the consular office, Malaysia’s presence in Taiwan was represented by the Malaysia Airlines System (MAS) in 1979. Subsequently, a Trade Office (MATRADE) was set up in October 1983 and this led to the establishment of the Friendship and Trade Exchange Centre (FTEC). The centre was joined by the Visa Division in 1985, and further expanded to include the Economics Division in March 1987 with its name changed to the Malaysian Friendship and Trade Centre (MFTC). In 1987, H.E Dato' Hanafiah Hussain was appointed as the first President of the Centre. Subsequently, Investment Division (MIDA) was established in May 1988 and followed by Tourism Division in 1989.
Malaysian Friendship and Trade Centre (MFTC) is the contact point for Malaysia-Taiwan engagement. MFTC is a de-facto Embassy of Malaysia, with an official status of Foreign Service recognized by the Government of Taiwan.
Malaysia and Taiwan enjoyed positive trade and investment cooperation over the years. In 2021, Taiwan was Malaysia’s 5th largest trade partner while Malaysia was Taiwan’s 7 th largest trade partner. In 2021, total trade between Malaysia and Taiwan was recorded at USD 25.11 billion, an increase of 29.8 percent compared to USD 19.34 billion in 2020. As far as investment is concerned, Malaysia remains as a competitive investment location for foreign investors in the manufacturing, services and primary sectors. Taiwan is ranked as Malaysia’s 8 th largest investor for the period from January-September 2021.
On people to people exchanges, a total of 28,472 Malaysians residing in Taiwan as of 31 December 2021. Out of this total, 13,964 Malaysian students are currently pursuing tertiary education in Taiwan.