A DELEGATION of the Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) led by its national president Tan Yew Sing paid Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow a courtesy visit at the latter’s office in Komtar on Sept 26.
A discussion on a wide array of issues took place which ranged from tertiary and technical education opportunities in the more than 1,300 universities and institutions of higher learning in China, business opportunities to be tapped for the mutual benefit of both countries, the pull factors to boost tourism and especially on the Malaysia-China Entrepreneur Conference scheduled for the last quarter of 2019 to be hosted in Malaysia.
According to Tan, the MCCC is currently considering its options for the venue for the said conference to be either in Sabah, Sarawak, KL or Penang. He expressed his hope for the Penang state government to support the conference so as to attract the delegates said to number around 1,500 business people who are Malaysians and Chinese from Mainland China to visit Penang and to sample the best of what the state has to offer.
Tan also shared his experience with Chow on how the Chinese government decentralizes the provinces in terms of specific economic specialty to enable each region or province to promote a particular industry citing examples such as the Chinese Smart City in Wuxi, the Big Data Centre in Guizhou and the e-commerce hub in Suzhou. The MCCC national president suggested that the Penang state government adopts a similar strategy like what the Chinese are doing to promote itself to outsiders.
Others in the MCCC delegation included vice presidents Ngan Teng Ye and Lee Chee Hian, secretary-general Kelvin Siah Teong Chein, Penang branch president Teh Eng Hin, Youth chairman Bryan Chong and vice executive secretary Jackie Chee Kok Ping.
The chief minister’s political secretary Teh Lai Heng was also present and was tasked by Chow to be the contact person for MCCC to follow up on its request for the state government’s sponsorship to hold the Malaysia-China Entrepreneur Conference next year.
Story by Victor Seow
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud