JOHOR BARU: The state could become the manufacturing hub for electric vehicles (EVs), as Chinese companies are keen on setting up a large-scale factory here.
Johor Import and Export Industry Association (Jimex) deputy president Datuk Seri Farid Ibrahim (pic) said they are facilitating negotiations to establish the plant for the export market.
“Johor was chosen by the Chinese companies for this investment due to our strategic location.
“They are considering three locations for the project: Tanjung Langsat in Pasir Gudang, Tanjung Piai in Pontian, and Pengerang in Kota Tinggi,” he said after a dialogue session with a Chinese delegation from Wenzhou, China, at a hotel here on Monday.
Farid said the negotiations are ongoing. Once operational, the plant is expected to produce 10,000 EVs each month for export to the African market.
He noted that this would also create over 10,000 jobs for locals, a point emphasised by the Chinese counterparts.
Additionally, Farid shared that the Chinese delegates showed interest in the agricultural sector apart from EVs.
“We are looking at importing livestock from China to Johor. The cows will be slaughtered locally and packed according to the Islamic Development Department (Jakim)’s standards. Since Malaysia’s halal status is widely accepted, such beef products can then be exported to other Asean countries, the Middle East, and North America,” he said.
“Another possibility we are exploring is ducks. With China’s assistance, we aim to become the largest producer of duck products in South-East Asia or even the Asia Pacific region.
“With their investment and the introduction of some duck species, the animals could be slaughtered at just 28 days old,” he added.
Wenzhou is a port and industrial city in eastern China’s Zhejiang province.
Wenzhou’s Lingang Economic Development Zone director Chen Yuliang, who led the 13-member Chinese delegation, said the three-day trip to Malaysia was to explore several projects, including a logistics loading centre, a factory, and a chemicals plant with investments totalling US$800mil (RM3.76bil).
He said that the trip was reciprocal after the Malaysian delegation visited China several times to negotiate the deals.
