Malaysia China Relations Solid & Profitable

Here is the news :

• Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park open for business
• KUANTAN: The much-talked about Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park is open 
• billions of ringgit in investments come to life after just four months.
• PM Najib said first industrial park to be accorded national status
• Malaysia-China relations at an unprecedented high
• finalising deeper cooperation and commitment to each other for the next five years.
• Five-Yr Dvlpmnt Program for Economic & Trade Co-op'n ready this year 
• Malaysia has been China's top Asean trading partner for five years in a row.
• park to be fully completed in two years, already attracted RM10.5bil, 8,500 jobs

This is fantastic news. Lets make money with the Chinese. And here is the most important part of what PM Najib said :

• "Over the past decade, the world has come to terms with a model where China's need for resources has created new patterns of trade and influence.
• "Now the world is beginning to recognise that Chinese innovation and domestic demand will prove just as potent a force in the global economy.
• "So on economic co-operation - and diplomatic - I am proud to say that Malaysia is ahead of the curve," said Najib.

Congratulations and thank you to the Prime Minister.  I hope this is just the beginning of attracting Chinese investments into Malaysia. Hopefully there will be more Chinese industrial parks in other parts of the country - perhaps Malacca or Johore.

The Chinese press in Malaysia as well as the Chinese business community are well aware that the PM is a great advocate of increasing trade with China. We must bear in mind that it was his father, our second Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak who established diplomatic ties with China in 1974.

We should also set up Malaysia-China international trade centers (essentially warehouses or large cavernous malls)  which can be rented out to Chinese manufacturers and Chinese exporters to display their goods for sale here  in Malaysia.  Then the thousands of professional buyers (purchasing managers, logistics managers, supply chain managers) from Indonesia, Thailand, Indo-China, India and maybe even Africa can travel to Malaysia to source their Made in China goods. No need to go all the way to China. It can also save on delivery time.

This was exactly what the old Malay Sultans of Malacca did. Their famous warehouses in Malacca stored goods from China, India and the Malay Archipelago. So people travelled from India and the Middle East to Malacca to buy the goods from this entire region. There was no need for Indians to travel to China and vice versa.

Najib said :   "So on economic co-operation - and diplomatic - I am proud to say that Malaysia is ahead of the curve" 

And I hope it remains that way too.  We had the intensive industrialisation in the 80s and 90s that moved us up the curve. We also had the huge investments in infrastructure in the 90s and early 2000 which also expanded our economy. Then the Multi Media Super Corridor also created vast opportunities for our economy which is still bearing fruit.

The China Market now offers the next great leap for our conomy. If we position ourselves well and latch on to the huge opportunities in East Asia, we will not regret it. Our grandkids will have jobs and live in prosperity too.