Organised by the Macao ASEAN International Chamber of Commerce (MAICC), about 40 local enterprise representatives embarked yesterday on a six-day trip to Singapore and Malaysia, with the aim of deepening its members’ understanding of the two countries, while strengthening exchange and cooperation with enterprises there and thus exploring their business opportunities.
MAICC is an international non-profit organisation established in 2009, according to the chamber, comprising more than 300 enterprises and others kinds of business entities engaged in international business activities from Macau and the mainland, as well as from a number of ASEAN member countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. It aims to utilise Macau’s advantages as an international platform to unite entrepreneurs from the mainland and Macau as well as ASEAN countries, promoting extensive cooperation and exchanges with ASEAN countries in the fields of economy, culture, sport, education and technology.
Members of the business delegation include MAICC Founding Chairman Chan Meng Kam, Founding Chairlady Amber Li Jia Ming and Honorary Chairman Simon Wang Sai Man – who are members of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), as well as MAICC Chairman Kelvin Tan Hai Ching.
Tan, who heads the delegation, told the Post and Macao Daily News – Macau’s top-selling English- and Chinese-language newspapers respectively: “This is the first time we have organised a delegation trip after the change of [MAICC] leadership [in May], and as in the past, we chose Singapore and Malaysia as our first stops because we would like to take our local young entrepreneurs to meet some chambers of commerce in Singapore and Malaysia’s Johor Bahru, in the hope of helping them expand their business opportunities.”
According to Tan, Johor Bahru will soon become a special economic zone under the Singapore-Malaysia partnership and his chamber plans to lead Macau’s young entrepreneurs and environmental protection companies to capitalise on the opportunity to establish a foothold in ASEAN countries.
As reported by Xinhua in July, Malaysia and Singapore signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop a special economic zone in Johor Bahru which borders Singapore in January this year, with the aim of strengthening economic connectivity between the two regions.
The six-day trip includes site visits to Singapore’s financial and advertising industries, as well as a visit to the Chinese Embassy in the Lion City during the first three days, also Malaysia’s real estate projects and the RTS Rail, as well as a meeting with the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) to discuss the country’s economic development environment, including the future Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone. Iskandar Malaysia is the main southern development corridor in Malaysia’s state of Johor, in the south of the Malay Peninsula.
Business matching meetings will also be conducted between members of the delegation and enterprises from the two countries during the trip.
Speaking to reporters at the local airport before departing for Singapore at midday yesterday, Lao Chi Long , a MAICC deputy standing chairman, said that members of the delegation were interested in the business environment of Singapore and Malaysia and would like to strengthen their business connections with enterprises there. Lao also said that his business is engaged in the cultural, creative, technology and exhibition industries, adding he expected to make business connections with enterprises in relevant areas in Southeast Asian countries, in Malaysia and Singapore in particular, through the trip.
Delegation member Kuok Lam Sek, whose business is engaged in the fields of structure construction, material supply and manufacturing, said yesterday that he was looking forward to learning more about the business environment in Singapore, adding that he had already started doing business in Singapore and that he hoped to gain an in-depth understanding of the business environment in Singapore and Malaysia through the trip.
Apart from Singapore and Malaysia, ASEAN includes Brunei Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. East Timor, which is a member of Forum Macao, is set to join ASEAN soon.
ASEAN has a population of over 600 million and a land area of more than 4.5 square kilometres.
ASEAN and China reaffirmed the commitment of both sides to enhancing their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) at the 25th ASEAN-China Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) Meeting, held at the ASEAN Headquarters in Jakarta on April 2, 2024.
Members of the Macao ASEAN International Chamber of Commerce (MAICC) delegation to Singapore and Johor Bahru in Malaysia, including MAICC Chairman Kelvin Tan Hai Ching (front, centre), pose at the local airport in Taipa yesterday before taking off for their six-day, two-nation fact-finding trip. – Photo: Yuki Lei
