Matrade Launches China-ASEAN SME Trade Platform

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 17 (Bernama) -- The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) has launched the China – ASEAN SME Trade Promotion Platform, aimed at helping Malaysian exporters enhance their entry not only into China, but ASEAN markets as well. In a statement Friday, Matrade said it had partnered the Guangxi Qinzhou Free Trade Port Area Administration Committee (GQFTPAC) and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) Malaysia, to improve access to a combined market size of 1.9 billion consumers. The platform offers online and offline channels for Malaysian companies called Haigou 365 and MAYI Imported Goods. "The E-commerce platform is for online sales of products which focus on before and after sales services, while the latter is a service that integrates facilitation on purchase, customs clearance as well as logistics and export management," Matrade said. Chief Executive Officer Dzulkifli Mahmud said the platform is useful for Malaysian companies, particularly SMEs, to ease their efforts at reaching out to consumers in China and ASEAN. "The platform is suitable for a lot of our exporters as it offers a comprehensive service that caters to both before and after sales requirements," he added. From January to October 2016, trade to China was recorded at RM191.65 billion and exports stood at US$17.2 biliion (RM77.4 billion). During the same period, trade with ASEAN was valued at RM328.58 billion and exports remained strong at 4.2 per cent or RM7.62 billion to reach a value of RM188.27 billion, compared to RM180.65 in the corresponding period last year. (US$1 = RM4.47) -- BERNAMA