205 M'sian SMEs To Showcase Products, Services In 13th CAEXPO

From Nurul Hanis Izmir NANNING (China), Sept 9 (Bernama) -- Some 205 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will be showcasing their products and services in the 13th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO), which will kick off on Sept 11, said Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE). CAEXPO is co-sponsored by China and the 10 ASEAN countries aimed at promoting cooperation and common development of China and ASEAN. Speaking to the media here Friday, MATRADE Director of China unit, Ong Yew Chee, said 53 per cent of the participating companies comprised new companies, given the strong purchasing power of Chinese consumers last year despite the economic slowdown. He said the companies were mainly from the food and beverage, lifestyle, pharmaceutical and services sectors. "The Malaysian pavilion recorded a tremendous performance at CAEXPO 2015, with 27 per cent growth in sales to US$ 52.56 million (RM214.61 million) versus RM168.57 million generated in the previous year. "This year, MATRADE is projecting sales of RM250 million," he said. Every year, Malaysia, which has a space of 3,240 square metres, will feature one of its states as the National Pavilion, and for 2016, Terengganu has been chosen as the national pavilion or "City of Charm", following the state's Visit Terengganu Year 2017. Organised annually since 2004 in Nanning, the third largest city in China, the four-day CAEXPO is a platform to promote cooperation between China and ASEAN in the fields of trade, investment and tourism. It also serves as a platform for Malaysia to promote its products and services to the huge combined China and ASEAN market of 1.9 billion. The theme for this year's CAEXPO is "Co-building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, Jointly Forging a Closer China-ASEAN Community of Shared Destiny". In 2015, Malaysia’s total trade with China was RM230.9 billion as compared to RM207.8 billion recorded in 2014, a growth of 11 per cent. For the first quarter of 2016, trade between Malaysia and China expanded by two per cent to RM108.85 billion, with higher exports to China namely metal and optical products and scientific equipment. (US$1 = RM4.06) -- BERNAMA