Digital free trade zone in the offing for Sarawak — DCM

KUCHING: The government plans to establish a Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) in Sarawak.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said as a start, the collaboration would involve Pos Malaysia Bhd.

“As a start, Pos Laju Malaysia Bhd has suggested that we get involved directly in the shortest time possible, particularly via ecommerce platforms like what has been done by Lazada.

“We have approved a site for this purpose, slated for Pos Laju Malaysia to operate in Sarawak,” he spoke when chairing the Sarawak Entrepreneurs Development Coordination Committee Meeting at a hotel here yesterday, where Assistant Minister of Entrepreneur and Small, Medium Enterprise (SME) Development Datuk Naroden Majais was also present.

Awang Tengah, also the Minister of Industrial and Entrepreneur Development, said the implementation of DFTZ, if materialised, could have a huge and positive impact on the state SME development.

The move to establish this zone for Sarawak, he continued, is hoped to replicate the success of the DFTZ at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), which had become the gateway for some 200 local SMEs to penetrate the global market.

“During his visit to Sarawak recently, Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) said the DFTZ in Kuala Lumpur had helped market SME products from more than 200 companies in Malaysia.

“This means that via DFTZ, our products – those from the SMEs, in particular – can be marketed globally, especially in China,” he added.

Malaysia is touted as being the first in the world outside China to establish a DFTZ, which comprises e-Fulfilment hub, satellite services hub and e-Service platform to stimulate growth in the electronic trade.

On the DFTZ in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) is collaborating with Alibaba Group to develop and connecting it with China, to ensure its success.

It is expected that the DFTZ would produce around 60,000 employment opportunities by 2025.