JOHOR BARU: Johor is experiencing one of the strongest phases of economic growth in recent history, recording over RM90bil in committed investments as of the third quarter of this year – the highest of any state.
State investment, trade, consumer affairs and human resources committee chairman Lee Ting Han (pic) said the positive development was announced by the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) on Tuesday (Nov 18).
"Up to the third quarter of this year, our state has successfully recorded RM91.1bil in committed investments.
"This achievement is followed by Selangor with RM51.9bil, the Federal Territories with RM45.9bil, and Penang with RM23.7bil.
"Therefore, I am confident that Johor is on track to meet its RM100bil target this year," he told Tan Eng Meng (BN-Pekan Nanas) at the state assembly sitting in Kota Iskandar on Tuesday.
He added that several follow-up initiatives focusing on three main aspects have been outlined as part of the state’s international investment promotion strategy.
"The three key aspects are investor return visits, participation in global investment forums and strengthening diplomatic investment networks with foreign agencies.
"Several companies from the United Kingdom and the United States, which we met during our recent investment missions, have expressed interest in visiting Johor in the first quarter of next year to survey industrial sites and discuss potential investment opportunities with state agencies.
"In addition, we will be carrying out an investment promotion and education cooperation mission to China this December.
"This mission will focus on companies in robotics, industrial automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and niche investment economy sectors such as biotechnology and clean energy technology," he added.
According to Lee, the state has also taken part in forums and briefing sessions as part of its efforts to boost investments.
"We participated in the second Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) Forum organised by Enterprise Singapore on Oct 14.
"This forum represents a collective effort between both countries to provide updates on the JS-SEZ implementation to the investor community and strengthen confidence in the potential of this cross-border collaboration.
“Invest Johor and Mida Johor also held a briefing session with Mida Overseas Centres on Oct 27 to enhance information sharing and strengthen Johor’s branding within Malaysia’s global promotion framework," he said.
He added that the state’s exceptional performance demonstrates that its international investment promotion efforts are not merely diplomatic missions, but ones that bring back immediate, tangible and substantial economic returns for Johor.
