Standing, from third left, Foo, Chen, Liew and Lau with invited guests and the delegates after the welcoming dinner.
KOTA KINABALU: The current Malaysia-China relations is at its best ever with increasing bilateral trade between both nations, said Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) Sabah branch president Datuk Frankie Liew.
Liew said a growing number of China firms had begun investing and acquiring major assets in Malaysia.
Sabah offered a good environment for tourism, healthcare, and retirement village business, he said in a welcoming dinner for a business delegation led by The Global Business Club president Chen Yuhe here on Friday.
In addition, he said the rich natural resources, sufficient rainfall, plenty of sun and fertile soil were also suitable for green and agriculture industries.
Now, Malaysia-China relations has reached its highest level in history, so is bilateral trade between the two countries and the number of China firms investing and acquiring major assets in Malaysia, he said.
Liew said the entry of sizeable Chinese investments into Malaysia was a reflection of their confidence in our country’s prospects.
He also encouraged investors to explore the opportunities in Sabah.
He said Sabah, with a population of about RM3 million and vast areas of land, offered strategic geographical advantage.
Liew said Sabah, located in the centre of Southeast Asia (SEA), is three to five hours away from major cities in Asia.
As such, he said, the State was an ideal location for processing, redistribution or transit of goods and services.
“Sabah can be a centre to reach out to the billions of population in Asia, especially in Asean.”
To this end, Liew said organizations such as The Global Business Club and Sabah Maritime Silk Route Society played an important role to facilitate more investment projects.
He said MCCC Sabah branch would also provide more platforms and opportunities for interaction and business matching.
“This is also the reason why MCCC Sabah branch signs a Letter of Intent (LOI) of cooperation with Shenzhen Global Business Club, with the aim of realising more projects by leveraging on the strength and network of both organizations.”
Meanwhile, Chen said the club hoped to introduce prefabricated home concept in Sabah, particularly in the construction of seaside resorts.
He said the delegation would be interested to work with local entrepreneurs or apply for land from the State Government in order to build the prefabricated beach resorts on a large scale.
This will bring in more China tourists and spur the tourism industry in Sabah, Chen said.
He said a prefabricated villa only cost about RMB 350,000 and took seven to 15 days to erect, which was perfect for beach villas.
Chen added that the club planned to set up an e-mall for Malaysian and China entrepreneurs to explore business opportunities using the online platform.
“We will only do wholesale in the e-mall, not retail,” he said.
Also present were MCCC national vice president Datuk Lau Kok Sing and Sabah branch vice president Foo Ngee Kee.