Call for Sabah-China maritime academy
KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia Maritime Silk Route Research Society president, Prof Dato’ Dr. Wilson Yong Tung Yung, has proposed for China to work with Sabah to establish a maritime academy to train seafarers, in view of the increasing demand for qualified personnel for the shipping industry.
He said, there is much room for development and growth in the maritime industry and shipping business in Sabah.
Yong said, the steady growth in economy and trade in recent years have increased the freight volume transported by sea or inland waterways.
“This has also resulted in high demand for qualified seafarers in the shopping industry, which is at a shortage in Sabah,” he said.
Additionally, he said, most shipping vessels in Sabah do not meet the requirements of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations.
“If this situation persists, it will cause a great loss to the local shipping and logistics industries,” he said.
As such, Yong suggested that China could perhaps work with Sabah to establish a maritime academy to train seafarers in order to resolve these longstanding issues.
He said this at the dialogue session between Sabah China Chamber of Commerce (SCCC) led by Datuk Frankie Liew and delegates from Zhuhai city, Guangdong province, China headed by Zhuhai Overseas Friendship Association president, Guo Caiwu, here yesterday.
Meanwhile, Guo said, Zhuhai has grown from a small fishing village to achieving rapid progress in a span of 40 years since China’s economic reforms in 1978.
He said Zhuhai recorded an average economic growth of 18 percent, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of RMB300 billion last year and GDP per capita of USD25,000.
Guo added that the bilateral trade between Zhuhai and China stood at over RMB7 billion last year, including RMB5 billion worth of imports.
“There are around 60 Malaysian companies investing in Zhuhai. We welcome the Malaysia Maritime Silk Route Research Society and people from Sabah to visit Zhuhai for tourism, sightseeing and investment purposes,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sabah Association of Tour and Travel Agents (SATTA) president, Datuk Seri Winston Liaw, said, tourism in Sabah and Zhuhai could both benefit from the availability of scheduled or charter flights.
He said, Sabah tourism was still in its early stage and there was much room for development.
“We have progressed rapidly in terms of tourism in the last decade. China tourist arrivals to Sabah has increased by 38 percent from 2017 to 2018, from 430,000 to 600,000,” Liaw said.
Liaw foresees that the tourist arrivals would continue to grow this year. With the growing tourism industry, he urged the delegates to explore investment opportunities in this sector, particularly in beachside resorts.
Also present were SCCC deputy president Dato’ Soh Poh Soon, Malaysia Maritime Silk Route Research Society president Prof Dato’ Dr Wilson Yong Tung Yung, JP, Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) vice president Datuk Lau Kok Sing, Sabah Housing and Real Estate Developers Association (Shareda) president Chew Sang Hai.