MCCC Sabah to work with China Consul General to promote trade ties

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Liew (fifth left) presenting the invitation card to Chen while Foo (fourth left), Tan (fifth right) and others look on.

Liew (fifth left) presenting the invitation card to Chen while Foo (fourth left), Tan (fifth right) and others look on.

KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) Sabah branch president Datuk Frankie Liew hopes that Sabahan entrepreneurs will strive to sell local products to the vast market in China.

Liew said doing so would enhance bilateral trade between both countries.

He said this during a courtesy call to the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Kota Kinabalu, Chen Peijie, to invite the latter as a special guest for MCCC Sabah branch installation ceremony on September 20.

Liew said the chamber hoped to work with Chen in promoting the relations between both countries, especially the Belt and Road initiative which MCCC Sabah took seriously.

He said the Belt and Road initiative was frequently discussed during national MCCC meetings, adding that MCCC received visits from China delegations almost everyday.

Liew said MCCC Sabah branch would have more exchanges with their counterparts in China after the installation ceremony to promote Malaysia-China bilateral development cooperation.

For instance, he said the chamber’s vice presidents Foo Ngee Kee and Datuk Tan Tiang Lai, who are in the property consultancy, tourism and resort businesses respectively, could play a role in this respect.

“We hope Chen and the consulate will render us support in this matter.”

Meanwhile, Chen said the Belt and Road initiative was not merely a slogan, but a concept to realize cooperation among countries upon establishing mutual understanding.

“The Belt and Road initiative is more than forging trade cooperation. It also includes establishing collaboration in the medical, cultural and other sectors.”

She said the consulate played a role in facilitating such cooperation and to render assistance when the need arose.

On the local tourism industry, Chen said the hotel sector was important in view of the increasing number of Chinese tourists to Sabah.

“The local players are expecting the number of tourists to reach a new high by year-end.

“The growing number of Chinese tourists means that the local tourism industry is thriving.

“But this also creates pressure to develop better hotels and tourism facilities to cope with the volume of tourists.”

She said five-star hotels, better facilities and management would attract more tourists to Sabah.

“Apart from the beautiful scenery here, the people in Sabah are very friendly and sincere in the way they treat others.

“These factors naturally attract a lot of Chinese tourists to the State.

“Sabah has also become increasingly well-known in China,” she said.

Chen said the consulate would encourage more China entrepreneurs or delegations to Sabah in an effort to create more exchanges and opportunities for cooperation.

She also hoped that MCCC Sabah branch, under Liew’s leadership, would promote more exchanges and cooperation between the State and China, especially when members of the chamber were major players in their respective industries.