PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia continues to attract investments from French companies with the latest being a factory to manufacture aircraft components in Sendayan, Negri Sem­bilan.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the investments were evidence of the strong relationship between both countries.

Speaking at a joint press conference with French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault here yesterday, Najib described the investments as exciting.

He said the US$135mil (RM405) project was an investment to produce carbon discs for aircraft brakes for the entire Asian market.

"Then we have the biotech investment in Terengganu between Arke­ma of France and CJ CheilJedang of South Korea. These are two significant investments and we look forward to receiving more from French investors," he said.

Najib and Ayrault earlier held an hour-long bilateral discussion where they agreed on the need to venture into new areas of co-operation, particularly in renewable energy, transportation and biotech.

Najib said the discussion also touched on defence co-operation, taking into account that the defence ministers from both countries would meet in December, to discuss more substantive issues.

"Prime Minister Ayrault also reassured me that the deep understanding and partnership will continue, basically in defence, and we look forward to receiving some of the acquisitions we have made including the A400 M aircraft and EC 725 helicopter," he said.

Ayrault said his country was ready to support all the projects to help Malaysia become a developed country by 2020.

"Malaysia is France's second largest economic partner in Asean and there are some 260 French companies here. They are ready to support all the projects to help Malaysia achieve the developed status by 2020," he said.

Ayrault said his visit was also to look for new opportunities for French small-and medium-scale entrepreneurs to come and explore particularly in infrastructure, information and communication and sustainability.

Earlier, Najib and Ayrault witnessed the signing of three memoranda of understanding (MoU) between Malaysia and France.

The first was between the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology and France's Thales SA for cooperation in the railway industry.

The second MoU was between the National Defence University of Malaysia and Eurosae SAS to establish cooperation in the field of engineering, aviation and aerospace, maritime and transport - tailored to defence and security - while the third was for a strategic collaboration between Mara and Eurosae Advanced Training in the area of aviation and aerospace technology.

BY ZUHRIN AZAM AHMAD

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