Kota Kinabalu: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has reaffirmed Sabah's commitment to fostering strong economic ties with China.
"As the economic and trade cooperation between Malaysia and China continue to progress, I look forward to more synergy in all areas of cooperation between Sabah and China," he said.
"The State Government will work closely with the Chinese Consulate General in Kota Kinabalu to enhance and continue this cooperation."
He said the State Government placed great importance on mutually beneficial cooperation with China and looked forward to identifying new opportunities and exploring new areas of collaboration.
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China is Sabah's largest source of foreign tourists, with 262,070 of the 706,383 international arrivals were recorded from January to July this year.
The surge was also due to the mutual visa exemption between Malaysia and China announced last December.
China’s visitor arrivals were recorded at 26,054 of the 424,052 international arrivals for the same period last year.
Hajiji said since tourism is a critical driver of Sabah's economy, the State Government would continue to enhance its business environment and upgrade tourism facilities to attract more investors and tourists to the State.
"Sabah has ample opportunities for investors in green technology and high-tech agriculture, as well as mixed developments. We are also keen for Chinese investors to explore opportunities in the State's Blue Economy," he said.
“Similarly, the energy sector presents significant opportunities, and while oil and gas remain important revenue streams for Sabah, we welcome investors to also explore solar and storage technologies, hydro, geothermal, as well as carbon market opportunities,"
Hajiji said four months ago on May 31, Malaysia and China celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
"Our two nations have always been good friends and enjoyed cordial relations. China is the largest trading partner for both Malaysia and Sabah. This has contributed to much cooperation across various sectors, bringing tangible benefits to our two nations and the people on both sides," he said.
"Last year, the leaders of Malaysia and China reached an important consensus on jointly building the Malaysia-China community with a shared future.
"This signalled a new chapter in our bilateral relations, adding a strong impetus on enhanced Malaysia-China and Sabah-China relations. Similarly, the King of Malaysia's recent four-day visit to China was a significant step in strengthening diplomatic ties
between the two nations."
The Chief Minister was confident that Malaysia and China will have many more years of good bilateral relations, seeing that there has been remarkable progress in cooperation in various fields, namely trade, investment, education, culture and tourism.
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