KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian trade promotion agency has reported that the Southeast Asian country and India have seen a large boost in the trade between the two over the past year. According to Matrade, tourism and merchandise trade has seen bilateral trade increase to $12.5 billion last year, a 40 percent increase from 2010. The report said the growth was “attributed to the burgeoning economies of both nations and strengthening bilateral trade,” according to a statement by Matrade. With more Indians and Malaysians visiting each country over the past year, Kuala Lumpur is confident that New Delhi's economic policies and movement on the international movement front will help continue to boost the two countries' relations. A large minority of Indians, especially from southern India, live in Malaysia and are an integral part of the country's economy, an economic advisor in Putrajaya told Bikyamasr.com. “An exponential rise in the tourism also helped enhance the bilateral relationship. Over the last 10 years, trade has seen average growth rate of over 15.6 percent annually,” said the Matrade report.
