MAKE M'SIA STRATEGIC BUSINESS LOCATION, JACOB TELLS CHINESE INVESTORS

KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 (Bernama) -- Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan today called on Chinese investors to make Malaysia their strategic business location.

With the recent implementation of the China-Asean Free Trade Agreement, he said Chinese investors would be able to reach into the Asean market as well as the countries that have free trade agreements (FTAs) with Asean which include Japan, Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.

"With the implementation of all these FTAs, collectively, the market size that is available to companies in Malaysia is effectively 3.3 billion people, almost half of the world's population," he said at the China Guangxi Products Exhibition 2011 here.

He said most the tariffs for intra-Asean trade had been eliminated and by 2015, the Asean Economic Community whose vision is a freer flow of goods and services within the region, would become reality.

Jacob also said Malaysia was now seeking to attract new investments in high value manufacturing sectors including renewable energy and solar technology, and would continue to encourage investments from electronics and resource-based industries.

Chinese investors should consider investing in Malaysia as the opportunities here were aplenty, the cost of doing business was inexpensive and the government was pro-business and investor-friendly, he said.