Malaysia has signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the UAE, its first with a GCC country. The CEPA will lower tariffs, reduce trade barriers, promote private-sector collaboration, and create new opportunities for investment. The agreement will enhance trade, boost investments, and deepen Malaysia-UAE economic ties, providing both countries with market access certainty. Malaysia views the UAE as a strategic hub for accessing markets in the Middle East and North Africa. The UAE is Malaysia's second-largest trade partner in the Middle East, after Saudi Arabia.