Taiwan's stock exchange is open to exploring setting up a stock-trading link with Malaysia if the Southeast Asian nation's stock exchange is interested, a Taiwan bourse official said.

"We are open," Lori Liu, vice president of the Taiwan Stock Exchange's trading department, said in the Malaysian capital city. "We can recommend to our regulator and Bursa Malaysia if they are interested," Liu said. Bursa Malaysia Bhd is the operator of the Malaysian stock exchange.

The Taiwan Stock Exchange has been eager to broaden its trading links to bolster its position after the launch of a similar link between Shanghai and Hong Kong last year. It is still in discussions with Singapore about a stock connect scheme that would open equity trading to investors in each other's market, according to Liu.

Plans to link stock trading between Taiwan and Singapore is expected to be completed toward the end of the year, Reuters reported earlier in March, citing an unnamed official familiar with the plans.

"We are still talking about the details, such as the setting up of accounts," she said, adding it was difficult to predict when the talks will finish and when the trading link will kick off.

Besides Singapore, the Taiwan Stock Exchange has also been discussing similar stock connect schemes with stock exchanges in Japan and London.