KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship Minister is optimistic about collaborative efforts between Sabah and Brunei following his recently concluded first official visit to the neighbouring nation.
Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe, who led the two-day work visit that ended Thursday (Oct 26), engaged with various government agencies and business leaders to foster opportunities and promote the state's local industries and entrepreneurs.
Also in the delegation were his Permanent Secretary Datuk Thomas Logijin and representatives from various agencies.
"The visit was aimed to establish a solid foundation for cooperation between Sabah and Brunei, especially in industrial and business sectors and driving mutual economic growth," he added.
During his visit, Phoong also met with Brunei's Minister at the Prime Minister's Office cum Minister of Finance and Economy Il Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Mohd Amin Liew Abdullah, who is also Brunei Economic Development Board chairman, to discuss enhancing bilateral trade relations.
"The trade cooperation between the two regions has flourished in recent years, with trade between Sabah and Brunei alone growing fourfold in 2022 compared to 2017," said Phoong.
He added that both ministers agreed during their meeting to strengthen cooperation, especially in trade and industrial development.
Phoong also met local business leaders and had dinner with representatives from the Asean Business Advisory Council East upon arriving in Brunei.
"We aim to introduce Sabah to more enterprises seeking overseas business opportunities, thus facilitating the growth of industries and businesses in Sabah," said Phoong.
