SINGAPORE - Malaysia will consider weaponry systems procurement from any countries that are willing to share and transfer their technologies, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
He said as a neutral nation, Malaysia has been procuring its military equipment from many countries before, so long as the terms and conditions were set based on trust.
"When we do our procurement, we look into countries that can really transfer their technology to us, countries that are willing to not only make us as their customers but look to us as partners.
"Partners in the sense that they are willing to support our policy, and one of our new policies is to be able to be self-reliant to support our local defence industry," he told Bernama on the sidelines of 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) on Saturday.
Commenting further, he said Malaysia has benefitted from transfers of technology from friendly countries such as Turkiye, South Korea, and some other countries that want to see Malaysia become a strong nation in this region, which include Australia.
On the second day of the SLD held at Shangri-La Singapore, Mohamed Khaled also held a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Singapore, the Czech Republic, Italy, France, New Zealand, and Thailand.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Khaled said he is scheduled to meet his Norwegian counterpart, Tore O. Sandvik, in a bilateral meeting on Sunday morning, during which he will convey Malaysia's disappointment over the cancellation of export licences for the country’s missile system intended for Malaysia.
"I will tell him of our displeasure and disappointment for a country like Norway to do such a thing," he noted.
Meanwhile, in response to United States (US) Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's call for allied countries to boost their defence spending instead of relying on the US, Mohamed Khaled said Malaysia would continue to chart its defence policy according to its own priorities and pace.
"We take note of the US policies and views, it is a fair request. I believe every country has every right to express their policies as well as their views.
"As a nation, we must be able to protect and defend ourselves rather than relying or giving to other countries to defend and help us," he noted.
The minister emphasised that Malaysia will look into its defence spending through its own concentration, as the national budget also needs to be allocated to various sectors to ensure a sustainable development. - BERNAMA