SCCC establishes cooperation in China, ASEAN region
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah China Chamber of Commerce (SCCC) which was set up a year before the Covid-19 epidemic, has established friendly partnerships and cooperative relations with many major provincial and municipal government agencies and businesses in China.
Its president, Datuk Frankie Liew, said after the epidemic, SCCC has not only deepened its cooperation and friendship with its Chinese partners, it has also begun to develop in various directions in the ASEAN region. In particular, the East ASEAN Growth Area, which has similar economic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds as Sabah.
“Many people think that we in Sabah have begun to deviate from our original intentions. In fact, we have adjusted our work direction from a more macro perspective and planned our service blueprint more comprehensively. Our current service goals and purposes are not limited to Sabah and China because if you look at the business routes from Sabah to China, including the ancient and modern Belt and Road Initiative, they are inseparable from the ASEAN countries, especially the East ASEAN Economic Growth Zone. Therefore, the entire region is a partner for cooperation,” he said.
“Of course, this cannot be achieved by relying on any one or two groups or organisations alone. The efforts of all people and groups must be combined,” he added.
From the end of 2022 to the beginning of 2023, Liew said SCCC had successively travelled to multiple regions in the southern Philippines, including Tawi-Tawi Province, Palawan, Zamboanga City and other southern Philippines regions as well as Jakarta and the future capital of Indonesia, Nusantara, to visit local political and business leaders, communicate with relevant industry and trade representatives, listen to the economic development status and reports of various regions, and visit important industries and companies, and establish important connections and business resources.
“With the joint efforts of SCCC, the East ASEAN Business Council and partners, we also received a return visit from the political and business delegation from ASEAN, especially the East ASEAN Growth Area.
“Among them, the governor of Tawi-Tawi in the Philippines, Ismail Sali, who led a delegation to visit Sabah several times in just one year. During this period,
Ismail expressed that he would fully support and cooperate with Sabah to improve the economy of Tawi-Tawi and promote trade between the two sides,” said Liew.
He added that SCCC and ASEAN partners all agreed that as long as the East ASEAN Growth Area successfully integrates the economy, production chain and resources, promotes economic growth in the region, improves the people’s overall living standards and education levels, and promotes local software and hardware facilities, the entire region will be safer and more prosperous.
“So far, logistics and transportation, import and export of raw materials, fishery, tourism in the East ASEAN Growth Area are all areas of in-depth development and have huge room for growth. If the operations of relevant fields can be integrated in the region, I believe it can bring great and long-term production and benefits,” he said.
“In addition, Indonesia plans to move its new capital to Nusantara, and the importance of East Kalimantan continues to increase. SCCC also organised a group visit to Balikpapan and Nusantara in East Kalimantan to meet with business people and government officials and exchanged views to learn more about the huge potential offered by moving the capital. At the same time, we also organised a group to personally visit the Monument Park at the Zero Point in Nusantara, Tonga Province.
“The opportunity of Nusantara also directly promoted the importance of Lahad Datu, an important town on our east coast, especially with the facilities of the POIC Industrial Park and the establishment of the free trade zone will attract foreign investment,” he said.
According to the SCCC president, ASEAN has a total population of 672 million and a GDP of approximately US$3.6 trillion in 2022. If considered as a single entity, ASEAN is the third largest economy in Asia and the fifth largest in the world, following the United States, China, Japan and Germany.
ASEAN countries are currently the region’s largest export market, accounting for 22.9% of the total exports in 2022, followed by mainland China (14.8%), the United States (14.8%), the 27 EU countries (9.0%) and Japan (6.8%).
“The trade war between the Western world and China provoked by the United States, coupled with the epidemic, has caused us to experience an earth-shaking change in global trade, with industrial chains fragmented, supply chains broken and inflation. At this time, we can see the disadvantages and unfairness for developing countries in the future. As China has always maintained close and friendly relations with ASEAN countries, it is our most reliable and powerful partner. Only by uniting China and ASEAN can we maintain warm relationship and coexist in this global economy.
“The Chinese market is huge. How to attract investment, who to negotiate with, and how to control such a vast business field, technology, professional knowledge and resources can only be achieved by establishing interconnected and interactive relationships to achieve high results. This is also the ultimate goal of SCCC, which is “close to ASEAN and leading to China.”
“Utilising Malaysia’s advantages of ‘one vision, one identity, one community’ among ASEAN countries, Sabah will be placed at the center of the China-ASEAN logistics, economic and trade, and transportation network. This is the best way for Sabah to exert its leverage on the China-ASEAN economy and market.
“In order to achieve this goal, we were committed to strengthening our team in 2023. In addition to recruiting powerful members, we have also enriched the lineup of young entrepreneurs and female entrepreneurs, once again improving the strength and scale of SCCC. We also began to look for ideal, visionary and courageous partners in China and established the Hubei branch.
“In addition, we have also started to organise various economic forums in conjunction with several major business associations in Sabah, including the First Sabah Chinese Economic Forum and major conferences such as the High-Quality Belt and Road Cooperation.
“After the overall strength has been improved, in 2024, we will further develop cooperative relations with ASEAN, especially the East ASEAN Growth Zone. We will promote more interactions and drive business and investment activities such as international exhibitions, exchanges and visits in the region. Promote the implementation of Belt and Road Initiative projects in the region and move towards high-quality cooperative development.
“Looking back in the past few years, the development of artificial intelligence has become increasingly mature, and new technologies and industries such as electric vehicles, new energy, and digital currencies have swept the world. ASEAN countries, which were not at the forefront of global development, are now even more in danger and may be swept away by the torrent of the times at any time. Submerged, we are in a more disadvantaged position in the world’s wealth distribution and gap, and there is no time to even turn around. Therefore, we must ride on China’s high-speed train. Relying on China’s huge economy, market, technology and resources, we can hope to move forward steadily with our overall strength, create our own economic circle, and create our own prosperity without continuing to be exploited and suppressed by economic powers,” said Liew.
“I am grateful to have you in the past, and I look forward to walking side by side in the future.
“On the occasion of the Chinese New Year, I would like to wish everyone that all their wishes will come true. The new year is like a flying a dragon in the sky, with the dragon and the tiger shining, the spirit of the dragon and the horse, heading towards a prosperous road for the vigorous development of economy, education, culture and civilisation. I wish you all good fortune and good health,” he added.