KUALA LUMPUR: Young Chinese entrepreneurs must move past an ethnic-centric lens in business if they hope to scale their ventures effectively in a globalised economy, says Datuk Chong Sin Woon.
The MCA secretary-general emphasised that in today’s era of globalisation, maintaining economic barriers between ethnic groupings is no longer viable.
“In this day and age, business is about one thing: money.
“If you want to scale your business but limit yourself to your own ethnic group or cultural circle, your growth will be stunted.
“If you recognise that other ethnic communities have greater needs and a larger market, you will naturally find a capable partner of different ethnicities to collaborate with,” he said, during the Malaysian Chinese Youth Summit at Wisma MCA Kuala Lumpur on Saturday (Jan 10).
Sin Woon was one of the panel speakers during the first panel discussion titled National Vision and the New Role of Youth.
Addressing the reality of Malaysia's social fabric, Sin Woon noted cultural differences are a natural part of a multi-cultural society and they should not be magnified.
“If you look back 500 years to Malacca, it was a free port that welcomed traders from China, Arabia, India, and Indonesia.
“Young Chinese entrepreneurs should look past these differences and adopt a practical approach in business,” he said.
Themed Building the Future Together: The Role of Malaysian Chinese Youth in Nation Building, the summit is one of the highlights to commemorate MCA youth’s 70th anniversary.
About 250 youths had participated in the summit to discuss three dialogues.
MCA Youth national deputy chairman and summit organising committee chairman Chong Yew Chuan said the summit is a platform for youth to voice opinions in pressing national issues.
“We hope that the summit serves as a starting point for youth to address issues that affects them directly.
“If we remain silent, structural problems will only worsen.
“However, as long as young people are willing to stand up, influence policy with their ideas and participate in nation building through actions, change is possible,” he said.
Yew Chuan also committed to compiling the suggestions and opinions shared by attendees.
These findings will be submitted to the government and relevant departments to ensure that the perspectives of Chinese youth are considered in future policy-making.
The summit was officially launched by MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, accompanied by MCA Youth national chairman Ling Tian Soon.
