Sabah Housing and Real Estate Developers Association (Shareda) president Datuk Chua Soon Ping (third from right) receiving the World Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Leadership Impact Award from Penang Head of State Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak (third from left) accompanied by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor (second right) and Tan Sri Majid Khan,KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific, Malaysia chairman (second left) in Shenzhen. The distinguished world Chinese entrepreneurs award is an annual award that is given out every year at the GCET summit to about 20 outstanding recipients.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is pitching to China investors to explore the state's Blue Economy concept to develop the food processing sector.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, who is leading a state trade mission to China, said Chinese investors could collaborate with Sabah in developing the food sector.
"We will implement this concept that calls for sustainable use of ocean resources for economic development, generating jobs and improving livelihoods.
"Sabah has the longest coastline in Malaysia with more than 1,000km for fish farming and other marine products. There is vast potential for win-win partnerships," he said at the "Business and Investment Opportunities in Sabah" Global Chinese Economic and Technology (GCET) Summit at the Futian Shangri-La in Shenzhen.
In a statement released here on Tuesday (Nov 7), Hajiji told investors that the Sabah government would be organising a Blue Economy International Conference in Feb next year.
The Chief Minister said Chinese investors should also consider the energy sector, encompassing traditional sources like fossil fuels and emerging renewable options like solar and wind energy.
"By investing in the energy sector, you play a pivotal role in ensuring a reliable power supply while contributing to a more sustainable energy future.
"While oil and gas will provide an important revenue stream for Sabah, we also welcome investors to explore solar and storage technologies, hydro, geothermal and carbon market opportunities," he said.
Hajiji also said there are abundant investment and business opportunities in oil and gas.
"This industry has developed rapidly in the last two years because the state government has successfully negotiated for greater control of the production and supply of oil and gas with the national oil company, PETRONAS.
"Sabah's stake in the oil and gas resources will further increase with more wells coming on stream. There is a tremendous potential for further investment and business opportunities in the downstream manufacturing and support services," he said.
Hajiji added that Chinese investors should consider investment and business opportunities in developing five-star hotels, boutique resorts and high-end tourism products and developing Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) business.
"Now that normalcy has returned to the tourism industry, we have launched a tourism recovery campaign to attract tourists back. China is only between three to five hours away from Sabah.
"To date, Sabah is connected to major cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Macau - among others in China with 63 weekly flights and a seating capacity of 11,360. We hope to see more air connectivity to increase visitor arrivals," he said.
He disclosed that the Sabah government was also actively working on strategies to boost the state's tourism sector further such as the development of the Sabah Cultural Park and the introduction of the 'Sabah My Second Home' programme.
Hajiji also personally welcomed investors to discuss the establishment of new industries.
"We are prepared to look into tailor-made policies for new industries for the right investors," he said.
The GCET Summit is organised by the China Development Institute, Shenzhen (CDI) and KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific (KSI).
