Fifty Top Notch Chinese Businessmen From APCE Visit ECER

2/20/2011 — Bernama
Fifty top notch Chinese businessmen from the Asia Pacific Chinese Entrepreneur Association (APCE) are on a two-day visit to the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) with an eye on investing in the economic corridor.
The visit, starting today, is also aimed at promoting stronger business relations with the Malaysian Chinese diaspora, the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) said in a statement Sunday.
The businessmen are exploring opportunities in the areas of agriculture, tourism, high technology and steel manufacturing, retail and commercial activities, property development and education.
The visit is being jointly hosted by the ECERDC, the Pahang State Government and the Pahang Chinese Chamber of Commerce (PCCC).
“The APCE visit is viewed as being significant in respect of the ECERDC’s efforts to entice more Chinese investors to the ECER,” the ECERDC said.
The Chinese delegation includes the respective chairmen of major companies such as the Tiens Group, Tianjin Rong Cheng Steel & Metal, Singapore Kuan Sheng Group and Hong Kong BaoSheng Group as well as top representatives from the Indonesia Cantonese Association, New Zealand Cantonese Association and Japanese Wen Zhou Business Chamber.
Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob, ECERDC Council Member and Executive Chairman of the IOI Group, Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng and ECERDC Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Jebasingam Issace John were present at the welcome dinner hosted today by the state government for the businessmen.
Meanwhile, Issace said the visit by the Chinese high net worth diaspora is a big step in enhancing bilateral relations, and putting the ECER on the investors’ map.
He also said the ECER can benefit from the strengthened ties as the Chinese market has huge potential and as Malaysia’s product manufacturing is booming, the economic corridor has the advantage of a huge resource base.
The ECER’s strategic location facing the South China Sea also gives the region a key edge in serving the Far East and Asia Pacific markets.
“We have also engaged with the PCCC in our efforts to attract more Chinese investors from Malaysia to participate in the ECER development.
“They are welcome to do so through collaboration with their business partners from China,” Issace explained.
China has been identified as one of the focus markets in the ECERDC’s investment promotion efforts, besides the Middle East and India.
In September last year, the ECERDC organised an investment mission to Xiamen, China in conjunction with the 14th China International Fair for Investment and Trade, as part of its initiatives to entice more Chinese investors.
On Monday, the businessmen will be visiting three key ECER project sites in Pahang, namely the Pekan Automotive Industrial Park,Kuantan Port City,and the Gebeng Integrated Petrochemical Complex.
All are located within the ECER Special Economic Zone.