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KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) — Malaysia’s manufacturing sector sales reached 500.1 billion ringgit (about 119.7 billion U.S. dollars) for the third quarter of 2025, reflecting a growth of 3.5 percent, official data showed Friday.

The Department of Statistics Malaysia said in a statement that the increase was primarily attributable to the food, beverages & tobacco sub-sector (9.2 percent), and the electrical & electronics products sub-sector (5.6 percent).

Moreover, the number of employees as well as salaries and wages during the quarter rose by 1 percent and 2 percent, respectively.

From January to September 2025, the manufacturing sector recorded cumulative sales of 1.5 trillion ringgit, which grew 3.6 percent compared to the same period of 2024.

As for September, Malaysia’s manufacturing sales expanded by 4.3 percent to 169.3 billion ringgit.

The growth in sales value within the manufacturing sector was mainly contributed by the food, beverages and tobacco sub-sector, which grew 9.1 percent in September. (1 ringgit equals 0.24 U.S. dollars) ■

MANILA, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) — The Philippines’ gross international reserves (GIR) rose to 109.7 billion U.S. dollars in October from 109.1 billion dollars in September, according to preliminary data released by the Philippine central bank.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said on Friday in its press release that the latest GIR level provides a robust external liquidity buffer, equivalent to 7.3 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services, and primary income.

Moreover, it covers about 3.7 times the country’s short-term external debt based on residual maturity, the BSP said.

The GIR is made up of foreign-denominated securities, foreign exchange, and other assets, including gold. ■