Sabah–Fuyang cooperation gains momentum

KOTA KINABALU (Dec 26): Sabah and Fuyang have shown strong alignment in agricultural and tourism development, with both sides seeing significant potential to expand cooperation into the ASEAN and wider Asia-Pacific markets.

President of the Sabah–China Chamber of Commerce (SCCC), Datuk Frankie Liew, highlighted this during his participation in the 2025 Fuyang Investment and Trade Fair and the 2nd RCEP Enterprise Homecoming Cooperation Conference.

He expressed hope that the conference would further deepen economic and trade cooperation between Sabah and Fuyang, while accelerating the implementation of concrete collaboration projects.

The event was hosted by the Fuyang Municipal Government and attended by Fuyang Municipal Party Committee Secretary Liew Yu Jie and RCEP Industrial Cooperation Committee Chairman Xu Ning Ning.

During the conference, Frankie, representing the SCCC, delivered a keynote address and held in-depth exchanges with government officials, chambers of commerce and business representatives from China and RCEP member countries, focusing on regional cooperation and industrial alignment.

He noted that Fuyang has a strong agricultural base and, in recent years, has actively promoted modern manufacturing, particularly in new energy, electronic information and equipment manufacturing. The city has also expanded into food processing, healthcare and the circular economy, gradually building a diversified industrial ecosystem.

Frankie said Fuyang’s development direction is highly aligned with Sabah’s resource endowment and industrial needs, creating wide-ranging opportunities for cooperation in agricultural technology, cultural tourism, new energy and manufacturing.

He explained that Sabah’s abundant natural resources and stable climate make it well-suited for agricultural development, while Fuyang brings extensive experience in modern agricultural technology and management. Both sides, he said, could explore collaboration in the introduction and application of tropical crop cultivation technologies.

On tourism, Frankie pointed out that Sabah is rich in eco-tourism resources and expressed hope that cultural and tourism enterprises from Sabah and Fuyang could pursue visitor exchange programmes, joint project development and shared operations, leading to long-term cooperation mechanisms.

He added that the SCCC will actively encourage Fuyang enterprises to invest in and expand into Sabah, leveraging the state’s strategic location and Malaysia’s access to the ASEAN market as a gateway to the broader Asia-Pacific region.

Frankie also outlined the role of the Sabah–China Chamber of Commerce as a key platform for economic and trade exchanges between Sabah and China, facilitating two-way trade, investment promotion and resource matching between governments and enterprises.

As an important partner in investment and trade promotion, the Chamber has long supported enterprises through seminars, business matchmaking and participation in international exhibitions to help drive external cooperation and market expansion.

Frankie concluded by saying he looks forward to further strengthening cooperation between Sabah and Fuyang to achieve mutual benefit and win-win development.