SUZHOU: Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg will call for a special meeting to discuss and re-strategise the development approach for the proposed Kuching Low-Carbon Hub (KLCH).
This follows a constructive meeting with Suzhou Municipal Government’s Mayor, Wu Qingwen, and Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) Administrative Committee, during which both sides exchanged ideas on potential collaboration between SIP and the KLCH.
The KLCH will be developed by Petroleum Sarawak Bhd (PETROS) together with China Jiangsu International Economic Technology Cooperation Group Ltd (CJI).
“I have an idea of what we should do for our proposed park, and it is no longer the one I initially had in mind. After this working visit, it will be something different – one that not only aligns with our Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 but also embraces future industries.
“We will pursue future industries because they will position Sarawak as an attractive destination within ASEAN to draw foreign investments into the region,” he said.
He said this during a press conference after visiting Golden Concord Holdings Ltd (GCL) here today.
Abang Johari said the KLCH would be developed to meet the demands of the new economy, positioning it as a hub to attract cutting-edge technologies, particularly in the era of artificial intelligence (AI).
“SIP was established during the transition into the modern economy, and times have changed. Ours will be developed in a different era, so we must adjust to the needs of the new economy, where we will prioritise low carbon and high technology,” he added.
The Premier also shared with Wu about Sarawak’s strategic location, noting that the state is within an approximately three-hour flight radius of other ASEAN countries.
With the ambition of becoming the “Star of ASEAN”, he said Sarawak is actively engaging with ASEAN member states by diversifying its economic activities through the use of clean and renewable energy to produce modern and high-value products.
“When Suzhou was built, China’s population was about 800 million, and today it is approximately 1.4 billion. If we were to compare that as a background, we are about to build our industrial park with ASEAN member countries’ population of more than 680 million,” he said.
