Sabah ready to be key platform for Malaysia-China cooperation: Hajiji
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is in a strategic position to become an important bridge in further strengthening cooperation between Malaysia and China, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor affirmed Sabah's capacity to serve as a crucial platform for enhancing Malaysia-China collaboration. He highlighted that Sabah's existing ties with China, which have been established for centuries via maritime trade routes, form a significant aspect of broader Malaysia-China cooperation. These maritime routes facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, culture, and societies, forming enduring bonds.
Speaking at the 77th Anniversary Reception of the Founding of the People's Republic of China, his statement, delivered by Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joachim Gunsalam, emphasized Sabah's strategic location, economic potential, and rich natural resources. These attributes enable Sabah to provide an effective platform for engaging Chinese enterprises, institutions, and communities.
Trade and investment are key components of Sabah-China relations, encompassing various sectors like commodities, agriculture, fisheries, manufactured products, tourism, and services. Chinese firms operating in Sabah have contributed to economic growth, job creation, infrastructure development, and strengthened business connections.
The Chief Minister noted that Sabah offers substantial investment opportunities in tourism, renewable energy, agriculture, fisheries, logistics, digital services, and the blue economy sectors. He also pointed out ample potential for sharing expertise in agriculture, marine conservation, clean energy, smart agriculture, and aquaculture.
Cooperation in the tourism sector can be further bolstered through improved air connectivity, expanded digital marketing, and the development of ecotourism, cultural tourism, and adventure tourism. Beyond economic collaboration, he emphasized the significant potential for expanding educational and cultural cooperation through university partnerships, student exchanges, language programs, research, scholarships, and science and technology fields.
Hajiji reiterated Sabah's commitment to sustaining robust and constructive relations between Malaysia and China, while adhering to the state's priorities under the Sabah Maju Jaya 2.0 development agenda. He concluded by asserting that Sabah is ready and aspiring to be an important platform for Malaysia-China cooperation.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
