Interview: China-ASEAN expo offers broad opportunities to expand Malaysian businesses

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian businesses seek to unlock the potential and opportunities available at this year's China-ASEAN Expo, according to a Malaysian business leader.

"This year marks the third consecutive year that I will lead a delegation," Ng Yih Pyng, president of the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Ng said he hopes the expo will help Malaysian businesses further expand their products and markets while identifying long-term strategic partners in areas including industrial and supply chains, technology applications and investment.

The 23rd edition of the expo is scheduled to be held in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Ng said cooperation between ASEAN and China has continued to deepen, while various exhibitions hosted by China have provided a broad space for cooperation between the two sides to find partners and expand business.

At last year's expo, "ACCCIM organized visits for businesses, enabling them not only to attend the exhibition, but also to gain a deeper understanding of industrial, logistics and investment opportunities," Ng said.

"An exhibition is never the end, but the beginning of on-the-ground validation and deeper connections," he added.

Ng said ACCCIM will organize a 15-member delegation to attend this year's expo, with greater attention to frontier areas including the digital economy, artificial intelligence applications, advanced manufacturing, green energy and cross-border supply chains.

"We hope that when businesses visit China, they will not only participate in exhibitions and study tours, but also gain a deeper understanding of China's development model, industrial trends and advances in technological innovation through systematic exchanges," he said.

Speaking about the current global economic and trade environment, Ng said in the face of global uncertainties, ASEAN and China should further strengthen regional cooperation and safeguard free trade and the smooth functioning of supply chains.

"Future Malaysia-China cooperation will no longer be simply about 'buying and selling.' Instead, it will increasingly combine Chinese technology with Malaysian manufacturing to jointly tap ASEAN and global markets and achieve deeper integration," Ng said.