Kuala Lumpur April 17: The Chairman of Malaysia-China Business Council Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting said that the Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib bin Tun Razak had given the instruction that the close consultations between the Malaysian and Chinese governments would continue in order to ensure that the implementation of the Qinzhou Industrial Park (QIP) would progress according to plan and that participating investors would be accorded the best preferential treatments given to similar joint-venture projects in other parts of China.
Speaking at the QIP investment forum and the soft launch of the 9th China-Asean Expo (CAEXPO) in Kuala Lumpur, he said the Prime Minister took special care of the QIP because he fully realized that the joint-venture project was not just for immediate gains but for the future generations of Malaysia.
He reiterated a message given by the Prime Minister to the delegates. In the message, the Prime Minister said: “I have no doubt Qinzhou Industrial Park Project will make a significant contribution to the development of what is already an important regional economic hub – and I can assure you that the Malaysian Government remains deeply committed to this project. “
Tan Sri Ong noted it was quite unusual to see so many prominent business leaders with the honorifics of Tan Sri in any gathering and their presence at the soft launch and investment forum was a testament of their full support of QIP and the forthcoming 9th CAEXPO.
He said with the official lunch of QIP which is a national-level development project by Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib bin Tun Razak and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, the close economic co-operation between China and Malaysia as well as Asean had reached a new height.
Qinzhou, especially QIP which has been specially designed and carefully nurtured, is now a new focus point of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. He added that with its strategic geographical position, highly efficient management team and the full support of the Malaysian and Chinese governments, the potential of QIP was indeed tremendous.
“QIP welcomes investors not only from Malaysia and Asean but also from other parts of the world. They are welcomed to participate in the joint effort to build a high-tech, eco-friendly modern industrial park.”
Tan Sri Ong also commended the two strong and well-branded conglomerates – the Rimpunan Hijau Group and S.P.Setia Berhad – for having made the far-sighted move to become the lead investors in QIP.
He was convinced that QIP would become a new model for Malaysian-Chinese economic co-operation and he hoped that more well-established Malaysian enterprises would use Nanning or Qinzhou as their base to lunch their business ventures or investment in Guangxi and China.
“With the sincere co-operation between the two governments, we are convinced that we can achieve the ultimate goal of broadening and deepening of our economic co-operation in an even more rapid pace.”
Datuk Dr. Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria, the Secretary General of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) said the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park would pave the way for Chinese investors to Malaysia and she was convinced that it would be a regional hub with great business potential.
Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) Dr. Wong Lai Sum also recalled that in the past, she had to visit businessmen and convince them to take part in the China-Asean Expo and only few businessmen would be interested. Now, many applicants have to be turned down.
She said Matrade would lead a huge delegation of more than 100 businessmen for the forthcoming CAEXPO.
Tan Sri Ong said: “The series of positive developments was just the initial fruits of our sincerity and mutual trust built over a long period. They are some of the highlights of our close and warm relationship carefully built and nurtured upon a foundation built over the last few decades.”
He said that even at this time of global economic uncertainties, the bilateral trade and economic co-operation continued to surge and he was convinced that the establishment of the two industrial parks would lead to even greater exchange of trade and investment and would give a major boost to regional economic co-operation.
He also noted that since the full implementation the China-Asean Free Trade Area, Nanning, as the permanent host of CAEXPO, has been a focus point to Malaysian businessmen and he hoped that many would seize the opportunity to go to Nanning this year to make the 9th CAEXPO even a bigger success.
Sharing views: (From the left) Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting, Secretary of the CPC Committee of Guangxi, H.E. Guo Shengkun and Chinese Ambassador H.E. Chai Xi exchanging views at the QIP Investment Forum.
Prominent guests and corporate heavyweights: (From left) Mr Tan Yew Sing, Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew, Tan Sri Michael Chen, Dato’ Abdul Majid Khan and Tan Sri William Cheng seen at the QIP investment forum.
(Translated and compiled by Hoo Ban Khee)
