PM Anwar to meet France's top leaders during official visit
Having arrived on Thursday, Anwar is scheduled for a morning meeting with his counterpart, Francois Bayrou. He was earlier accorded an official welcome at the Hôtel des Invalides.
"Honoured to receive an official ceremonial welcome from the Government of France, a meaningful and dignified gesture that reflects the longstanding friendship and mutual respect between Malaysia and France.
"As we navigate an increasingly complex global landscape, Malaysia remains steadfast in working with partners such as France to champion multilateralism, reinforce peace and stability, and build a more just and sustainable future for all," the Prime Minister remarked.
This evening, Anwar is scheduled to hold a one-on-one meeting with President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace, with key agenda items including trade, investment, renewable energy, semiconductors, defence, education, digital economy, and artificial intelligence (AI).
Both leaders are also expected to touch on the crisis in the Middle East, especially the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Anwar will also join the Muslim community leaders here for Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque of Paris, one of the oldest mosques in France.
Further strengthening bilateral relations, the Prime Minister will deliver a lecture titled 'Southeast Asia and Europe: Recalibrating the Terms of Engagement' at the prestigious Sorbonne University, a world-renowned institution in the intellectual and cultural spheres.
Anwar's delegation includes Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu, Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
Also accompanying the Prime Minister is Deputy Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir.
As part of the plan to attract global investment, especially from France, Anwar is also scheduled to attend a roundtable meeting with French captains of industry. Among the companies are Imerys, Arkema, Airbus and Thales.
France remains one of Malaysia's top five trading partners within the European Union. In 2024, bilateral trade totalled RM15.95bil (USD3.63bil), with RM6.26bil (USD1.49bil) recorded between January and May this year.
Following his engagements in France, Anwar will head to Brazil to attend the BRICS Leaders Summit from July 5 to 7. - Bernama
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
AI deepfakes of PM, tycoons used in scams
KUALA LUMPUR: Scammers are using artificial intelligence (AI) to create hyper-realistic videos featuring politicians, business moguls, and celebrities. These videos are used to lure unsuspecting people into fraudulent investment schemes. MCA's Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong said today that RM2.11 billion was lost to these scams last year. A total of 13,956 cases were reported. These AI-generated deepfake videos often depict influential figures — including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, tycoon Tan Sri Robert Kuok, former chief justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat and Capital A Bhd chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes — promoting fake investment and get-rich-quick schemes. "The AI-generated videos look so real that people can't tell the difference. Anyone watching would think it is the prime minister himself asking the public to invest, unaware that it's an AI-generated fake." Chong said this at Wisma MCA. He said 85 per cent of victims were convinced to invest after watching fake promotional videos featuring seemingly genuine endorsements from public figures. "If not for the Tamil accent in one of the videos, I too might have believed it was real," he said. This, he added, highlights just how convincing the content can be. "These videos have become rampant over the past four to five months, spreading through Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram — making them easily accessible." He said that while authorities such as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission are removing flagged content, scammers continue to stay one step ahead. "They're smarter. The moment one video is taken down, they generate a new one and continue to deceive people." To illustrate how easily victims are ensnared, he and several MCA members conducted a simple sting operation. They pooled RM1,100 and responded to a link beneath one of the scam videos. "Within minutes, a scammer contacted our team member to explain the 'investment' and its returns. "He played along and invested RM1,100. He was promised a return of RM5,000 the following week. 'The next day, they demanded another US$250 as a processing fee. At that point, we confirmed it was a scam and stopped engaging." While it is difficult to prevent scammers from using technology in increasingly creative ways, he said public awareness remains the strongest defence. "We must flag and tag such videos as fake whenever they appear on our feed. "This way, the next person who sees it might think twice before falling for the scam." He said social media platforms should strengthen detection mechanisms and called on authorities to tighten legislation against the misuse of AI-generated media.
Focus Malaysia
3 hours ago
- Focus Malaysia
Tun M crowns Anwar 'Father of Invisible FDI' as billions remain out of sight
FORMER prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has dubbed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim the 'Bapa FDI' or 'Father of Foreign Direct Investment', in a biting Facebook post yesterday (July 4). Welcoming Italy's announced RM8.13bil investment, Dr Mahathir quipped, 'Wait for France and Brazil, more billions coming.' He claimed RM680bil in FDI has been declared under Anwar but sarcastically noted that Malaysians 'cannot see it because the factories are invisible'. He added, 'We want more visits to foreign countries so that more invisible FDI will come.' Dr Mahathir concluded that while the wealthy pay less tax, the poor ultimately suffer from these grand but hollow announcements. On taxes, Dr Mahathir teased: 'In the meantime, Mahakaya has to pay tax. Not the Mahamiskin. Somehow indirectly the miskin suffers.' Last week, Anwar announced that Malaysia secured RM8.13bil in potential investments during his three-day official visit to Italy. The deals cover petrochemicals, machinery, electronics, and oil and gas services. Anwar also discussed defence purchases, including maritime patrol aircraft, helicopters, and naval vessels from Italy. He met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to strengthen ties in energy, renewable sectors, and defence and urged recognition of Malaysia's sustainable palm oil certification. Additionally, he pushed for progress on the Malaysia-EU Free Trade Agreement. Anwar's European tour will continue with visits to France and Brazil to further boost trade and economic cooperation. — July 5, 2025
Malaysia Sun
3 hours ago
- Malaysia Sun
Macron reveals topics he discussed with Putin
The French leader said he raised concerns over Iran, and saw no progress on Ukraine French President Emmanuel Macron said his first phone conversation in nearly three years with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin focused mostly on nuclear non-proliferation, following a series of Israeli and US strikes against Iran. Macron told journalists that the call centered on Iran's nuclear program and the need to preserve the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), according to avideobroadcast by BFMTV on Friday. "I called him first on the Iranian issue and the necessity of maintaining the non-proliferation treaty," Macron explained. "It was very important to reach an agreement, because France also bears responsibility for ensuring stability." The French president described the conversation as "important for France," noting that both nations, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, share obligations under the NPT. Following a series of Israeli and US bombings of its nuclear and other strategic sites, Tehran suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), accusing it of failing to condemn the attacks on facilities under its supervision. Iran also claimed the UN agency colluded with its adversaries, alleging it had passed the identities of nuclear scientists to Israel, several of whom were later assassinated. According to the Kremlin's readout of the July 1 call, both Putin and Macron emphasized the need to respect Iran's right to peaceful nuclear energy while fulfilling its obligations under the non-proliferation treaty. Moscow and Paris also agreed to continue diplomatic engagement to avoid further escalation in the Middle East. Macron also said he could not report any "progress" on Ukraine in his discussion with Putin, echoing sentiments expressed by US President Donald Trump following his own call with the Russian leader on Thursday. READ MORE: No progress made in Putin call Trump "We shared our disagreements," Macron said, insisting that "there needs to be a ceasefire first, followed by the resumption of negotiations." He added that Western sanctions, including those already imposed by the EU and new ones proposed by the US Congress, were essential to applying pressure. The Kremlin confirmed that Putin reiterated Russia's view that the Ukraine conflict stems from years of Western disregard for its security concerns. The Russian president maintained that any settlement must be "comprehensive and long-term," address the "root causes" of the crisis, and take into account what Moscow describes as the "new territorial realities." Russia and Ukraine resumed Türkiye-hosted talks earlier this year after nearly three years without direct diplomatic contact, following Kiev's withdrawal of its demand for an unconditional ceasefire as a precondition for negotiations. Macron's outreach comes amid a shift in his stance on the conflict. While previously advocating the deployment of French and other NATO troops to Ukraine, the French president has more recently proposed that the EU begin considering a broader dialogue on regional security that includes Russia as part of a potential peace framework. (
