Mr. Unny Sankar currently serves as Minister of Economic Affairs at the Embassy of Malaysia in Beijing, People’s Republic of China. His responsibilities include strengthening bilateral economic and trade relations between Malaysia and China.
In his previous role, Mr. Unny Sankar served as Director of the China Section and Europe II Section at the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry Malaysia (MITI). He oversaw the development of the Belt and Road Initiative in Malaysia, as well as bilateral economic and trade matters pertaining to the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau; the European Union (EU); selected Western European countries; and the United Kingdom.
He spearheaded the establishment of the Belt and Road Initiative National Secretariat (BRINS Malaysia) at MITI in 2017. Additionally, Mr. Unny leads a coordination and monitoring team for the implementation of the Five-Year Program for Economic and Trade Cooperation between Malaysia and the People’s Republic of China. He also served as the ASEAN Lead for the Economic and Technical Cooperation Working Group in the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) 3.0 upgrade negotiations.
Mr. Unny Sankar was responsible for managing Malaysia’s strategic relations with the EU and Western European countries. Malaysia’s trade with the EU constitutes approximately 8% of its total trade volume, with foreign direct investment (FDI) showing a positive upward trend. Key collaborations include the implementation of programs under EU ARISE+ Malaysia and trade and investment missions to the Western European region aimed at bolstering bilateral economic and trade ties.
Mr. Unny Sankar began his civil service career in 2003 at the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH), where he contributed to Malaysia’s free trade agreement negotiations across chapters on Intellectual Property Rights, Trade in Goods, and Trade in Services—focusing on access to affordable medicines and trade in health.
Mr. Unny Sankar holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry (Honors) from the University of Malaya and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University. He served as Honorary Secretary of the Harvard Club of Malaysia from 2018 to 2023. In 2023, Britishpedia recognized Mr. Unny Sankar in its publication ‘Successful People in Malaysia”.
