COMMENT | As the global rules-based order wobbles, Malaysia cannot afford to be caught short. Every day, we read new announcements and executive orders that make our jaws drop and scramble business as usual.

As an open market economy reliant on flows of maritime trade, such disruptions will have adverse implications.

With growing uncertainty over established trade relationships and patterns, Malaysia needs to identify partners and areas that increase the nation’s economic and trade resilience. We need to be serious about innovation to weather global trade and policy disruptions coming fast and thick.

Neighbourly resilience

We can get an idea of this through the flows of funds into and away from our stock markets. Foreign capital...