Malaysia, U.S. to launch strategic civil nuclear cooperation

The governments of Malaysia and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding on strategic civil nuclear cooperation on the occasion of the working visit of the Secretary Marco Rubio to Malaysia.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan on civil nuclear cooperation, the State Department said in a statement on Thursday.

The Malaysian Foreign Minister described the signing of the MoU as 'a significant milestone' that represents 'a crucial step in our shared journey to further strengthen the Malaysia-United States comprehensive partnership.'

"For Malaysia, exploring the role of nuclear energy is a key part of our long-term strategy.  It is about ensuring energy security, driving economic growth, and developing our national capacity to harness nuclear energy in a safe, secure, and truly responsible manner," - Mohammad Hasan stated at the ceremony and expressed Malaysia readiness to commence negotiation on the 123 Agreement. 

Secretary Rubio welcomed the signing of the MoU, calling it 'a signal to the world' of how civil nuclear cooperation can be pursued between trusted partners while maintaining the highest standards of safety, security, and non-proliferation.

"Obviously much work remains.  We’re anxious to move forward on the negotiations on the 123 Agreement, and this is the next step forward in a country whose future is incredibly bright.  And we’re very honored to be a part of this today.

The 123 Agreements of Agreements for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation establish a legal framework for significant peaceful nuclear cooperation between the United States and its partners. U.S. law generally requires a 123 Agreement to be in force before licensing significant exports of U.S.-origin nuclear material (e.g., nuclear reactor fuel) and equipment (e.g. nuclear reactors and major components) to another partner.

During today’s meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the U.S.–Malaysia Comprehensive Partnership and to strengthening economic and security ties between the two nations.

Secretary Rubio reiterated the United States’ support for a free and open Indo-Pacific and discussed expanding bilateral defence and security cooperation, particularly through enhanced maritime law enforcement operations in the South China Sea.

Both leaders also pledged to deepen collaboration in civil nuclear energy, critical minerals, and advanced technologies—including joint efforts to build resilient critical mineral supply chains and enhance the security of AI chip technologies.

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