SIBU: Cooperation between China and Sarawak is expanding from traditional infrastructure to areas such as green energy, equipment manufacturing, digital economy, and healthcare.
In this respect Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Kuching, Xing Weiping, said bilateral ties between Sarawak and China have been growing steadily.
“More and more China enterprises are recognising Sarawak’s development prospects and seeking opportunities for collaboration,” he said.
“The potential for cooperation between China and Sarawak is immense.
“We believe that in the future, we will hear more good news about bilateral cooperation, such as 20,000 tons of methanol being recently shipped from Bintulu to China for the first time,” he said at the Sibu United Chinese Association’s Lunar New Year reunion dinner here recently.
Xing hoped that the Chinese community in Sibu will continue to carry forward the pioneering spirit of their ancestors, promoting mutual cooperation between China and Sarawak, spreading Chinese culture, and fostering friendship among people.
In other development, he disclosed that, in 2024, particularly in the second half of the year, with the support of a series of incremental policies, China’s economy achieved a five per cent growth target, reaching a total of 134.9 trillion Yuan, surpassing the 130 trillion Yuan threshold for the first time.
Revealing that Imports and exports grew by 3.8 per cent year-on-year, totaling 6.2 trillion US dollars, he said Asean remained China’s largest trading partner, accounting for 16 per cent of China’s total foreign trade.
Pointing out that China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, he said people-to-people exchanges have also continued to deepen.
“With the implementation of the visa-free policy, personnel exchanges have expanded, with China visitors to Malaysia exceeding 3.8 million in 2024, more than double that of 2023.
“Not long ago, China announced the extension of visa-free stay for Malaysian citizens to 30 days, further facilitating exchanges between the two countries,” Xing added.
