"This shows Malaysia's resilience in terms of trade over the period," MITI said. The trade surplus fell slightly to 81.07 billion ringgit in 2004 from 81.14 billion ringgit in 2003.
MITI said a strong performance in 2003 continued into 2004 as Malaysian merchandise exports grew 20.5 percent to 480.7 billion ringgit. Factors that had an impact on the export performance in 2004 were stronger external demand, dynamic trade within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and continuing efforts to penetrate new and emerging markets. Imports in 2004 recorded strong growth of 25.8 percent to 399.65 billion ringgit, MITI said.