Sabah China chamber seals strategic partnership with Jiangxi to boost trade ties

KOTA KINABALU (Nov 29): The China Jiangxi–Malaysia Economic and Trade Cooperation Exchange Event was recently held in Nanchang, attended by about 140 participants including representatives from Malaysian and Jiangxi business associations as well as industry players.

Datuk Frankie Liew, representing the Sabah China Chamber of Commerce (SCCC), signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Rural Revitalization Promotion Association of Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province, laying an important foundation for future economic and trade cooperation between the two regions.

In his speech at the event, the SCCC president emphasized the tremendous potential for economic and trade collaboration between Jiangxi and Malaysia. He urged both sides to seize the current golden opportunity in China–Malaysia relations and push cooperation to deeper and broader levels.

Liew said Sabah possesses abundant tourism, agricultural and marine resources, making it the ‘Pearl of Borneo.’

In recent years, the local government has actively promoted industrial upgrading and introduced incentives such as tax benefits and streamlined approval processes, attracting many Chinese companies to invest and expand in the state.

He noted that the Sabah China Chamber of Commerce has long been committed to building a communication bridge for enterprises from both countries, hoping to use the strength of civil society to promote the implementation of practical cooperation.

He highlighted that Jiangxi and Malaysia have maintained close exchanges for many years, with fruitful interactions especially in agricultural technology and agro-processing.

The launch of the Nanchang–Kuala Lumpur direct flight by Jiangxi Air has further created a convenient new channel for economic, trade and cultural exchanges.

Liew stated that Jiangxi’s strong capabilities in technological innovation and advanced manufacturing complement Sabah’s resource advantages and its strategic position as a gateway to ASEAN. With a solid foundation and huge potential, both sides have broad prospects for future development.

In his speech, Liew proposed three major cooperation directions:
1. Deepening the alignment of key industries
– Promote collaboration between Jiangxi’s agricultural machinery and food-processing technologies with Sabah’s agriculture and marine sectors.
– Allow Jiangxi’s technological strengths to support Sabah’s industrial modernization.
– Facilitate Sabah’s high-quality products entering the Chinese market.
2. Jointly exploring emerging sectors
– Develop demonstration projects in green economy, digital economy, cross-border e-commerce and cultural-tourism integration.
– Leverage the policy advantages of Sabah’s free-trade zones.
3. Strengthening people-to-people and business exchange platforms
– Continue organizing business visits, project matchmaking and policy briefings.
– Provide precise services to help ensure high-efficiency implementation of cooperation projects.

He stressed that China–Malaysia relations are entering a ‘Golden 50 Years,’ and people-to-people economic cooperation is a crucial pillar of bilateral friendship. The Sabah China Chamber of Commerce will continue to serve as a ‘promoter, facilitator and guardian,’ helping transform the vision of cooperation into concrete achievements.

Chen Junqing, Deputy Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Chairman of the Jiangxi Provincial CPPCC, said that Jiangxi and Malaysia enjoy strong resource complementarity and high industrial compatibility, with vast room for cooperation. He expressed hope to share Jiangxi’s development opportunities with Malaysian partners and achieve higher-level mutual benefits. He welcomed both Jiangxi enterprises to ‘go global’ to Malaysia and Malaysian enterprises to ‘come in’ and invest in Jiangxi.

Melaka State Executive Councillor S’ng Chee Hua said Malaysia is willing to work together with Jiangxi to expand new economic and trade cooperation opportunities. He looks forward to combining Melaka’s strategic location with Jiangxi’s industrial strengths, making sustainability the most distinctive feature of cooperation.

Peng Wei Han, Commercial Vice-Consul of the Consulate General of Malaysia in Guangzhou, said Jiangxi has shown strong growth in new energy, the digital economy, and traditional Chinese medicine industries — all of which align closely with Malaysia’s development directions. With joint efforts, Jiangxi–Malaysia economic and trade cooperation is expected to yield even more fruitful outcomes