More Chinese agriculture firms set to venture into Asean

KUALA LUMPUR: The increasingly close cooperation between China and Asean will spur more Chinese agricultural enterprises to make their foray into the region moving forward.

Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) president Tan Yew Sing said that more Chinese technology “genes” would be injected into Asean products, allowing “China’s excellent agricultural technology to take root and bear fruit on Asean soil.”

He called on the Government and the business community to tap the current ChinaMalaysia bilateral trade relations to enhance the various traditional industries with technological innovation as a goal.

“The growth of the world’s population has aggravated the human consumption of earth’s resources.

“Modern agriculture has become knowledge intensive and highly efficient,” he said at the MCCC Lunar New Year Celebration 2018 here yesterday.

Also present was Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong.

Tan also lauded efforts by the Malaysian Rubber Board, which has actively conducted innovative research with high value-added benefits to foster high quality, high yield and disease-resistance varieties, as well as to produce rubber tree varieties with shorter maturity periods.

He said this innovation would help small rubber plantation owners to carry out systematic management and in turn improve the yield of the commodity.

Meanwhile, Tan said that the Malaysia Inbound Tourism Association had estimated that this year’s Chinese New Year holiday would usher in 250,000 Chinese tourists, an increase from about 200,000 tourists last year.

According to data from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, China’s outbound tourists account for a fifth of the world’s total tourism spending.

They also account for twice that of those from the United States.

“As a popular tourist destination in SouthEast Asia, Malaysia should strengthen its infrastructure, such as Chinese language signages and Chinese-speaking tour guides, alongside introducing innovations in science and technology such as a mobile phone payment system,” Tan said.

This, he said, was crucial to stand out among popular tourism destinations in neighbouring countries or around the world, and continue to attract Chinese tourists.