CE calls on Macao and Malaysian businesses to seize new opportunities arising from coordinated regional development

MACAU, September 4 - The Chief Executive, Mr Sam Hou Fai, expressed hope that enterprises from Macao and their Malaysian counterparts would strengthen collaboration and work together to enhance connectivity between the major markets of Southeast Asia and the Chinese mainland, thereby seizing new opportunities arising from coordinated regional development.

Mr Sam made the remarks on Thursday (3 September) during a meeting with Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Mr Sim Tze Tzin. The meeting was also attended by approximately 20 business representatives from Macao, Hengqin and other cities on the Chinese mainland, who are accompanying the Chief Executive on his visit to the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.

The Chief Executive, leading a Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) delegation, arrived in Kuala Lumpur on the evening of Wednesday (2 September), following stops in Singapore and the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, as part of an eight-day official visit to the three Southeast Asian countries.

Speaking at Thursday’s meeting, Mr Sam noted that Malaysia is an important economy within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It is also one of Macao’s most significant trade and economic partners in the region, having ranked first last year among ASEAN countries in terms of bilateral trade volume with the MSAR.

Two-way investment between Macao and Malaysia has continued to grow, Mr Sam noted, expressing confidence that the two sides would create a more conducive environment for further trade and investment cooperation.

With implementation beginning this year of both the 13th Malaysia Plan and the Third Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the MSAR (2026-2030), new opportunities for coordinated development have emerged, opening fresh prospects for cooperation in various sectors, including trade and investment, Mr Sam stated.

The Chief Executive also expressed hope that Macao and Malaysia would further deepen collaboration in the convention and exhibition sector. He invited Malaysian industry stakeholders to organise exhibitions in Macao, proposing to elevate cooperation from participation in each other’s events to jointly hosting them, with the aim of creating new flagship events with international influence.

Mr Sam encouraged Macao enterprises to strengthen engagement with Malaysian halal certification bodies and other industry organisations. He also urged them to leverage Malaysia’s strategic location within ASEAN, as well as its mature regional industrial and supply chains, to expand into halal product markets in Malaysia and across Southeast Asia.

There is also broad potential for cooperation between Macao and Malaysia in traditional Chinese medicine, Mr Sam said, proposing that enterprises from both sides enhance communication and coordination in areas such as product market access, the commercialisation of research findings, and industrial collaboration.

Deputy Minister Sim said that Macao’s ongoing efforts towards economic transformation and upgrading aligned with Malaysia’s own development vision. The MSAR’s focus on appropriate economic diversification, particularly in advancing the key industries under its “1+4” development strategy, corresponded well with Malaysia’s industrial development direction, he added. Malaysia has traditionally been a trade-orientated economy, but is now progressively gearing towards high-technology and high-productivity manufacturing sectors, while making further advances in downstream agriculture-related activities, aerospace, and medical devices – sectors in which Malaysia seeks to strengthen international cooperation.

Malaysia boasts world-class ports, robust infrastructure, and seamless trade corridors, providing a solid foundation for enhanced economic and trade exchanges with Macao, as well as for unlocking further potential for collaboration, Mr Sim added.

He expressed hope that more Chinese enterprises would expand their operations into Malaysia, and noted that Macao could serve as an important platform facilitating cooperation between Chinese and Malaysian businesses.

During the meeting, enterprise representatives shared their views on deepening practical cooperation with Malaysia in various fields, including healthcare, modern financial services, cross-border financing, medical devices, and halal certification.

Also present at the meeting were: the Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia, Mr Ouyang Yujing; Macao’s Secretary for Economy and Finance, Ms Ng Wai Han; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Chan Kak; the President of the Board of Directors of Macao’s Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute, Mr Che Weng Keong; the Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Ms Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; and Director of the Bilateral Economic and Trade Relations Division of Malaysia’s Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, Ms Ang Li Ling.

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