PUTRAJAYA – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said several leading companies from China have decided to make Malaysia their regional hub.
Speaking at the monthly assembly of the Prime Minister’s Department staff here today, Anwar said he would reveal more details about the matter soon.
“Usually their regional hubs are in other countries, or in neighbouring countries. This is the first time several (Chinese) companies are choosing Malaysia as their regional hub,” the prime minister said after his recent official visit to China.
Anwar said he has communicated to the leading Chinese companies that they must prioritise the hiring of qualified Malaysian workers when they come here to operate, noting that Chinese companies operating in the country sometimes bring all their workers from China.
However, Anwar said the government is prepared to quickly approve their applications to bring workers in from China, provided they show proof that their efforts to hire local workers have failed.
Also proposed to them are in-house training courses in companies such as Proton Holdings Bhd for local workers so that they get hiring priority before opportunities are opened to professionals from China.
In conjunction with Anwar’s recent China visit, Malaysia managed to secure investment commitments worth a potential RM170 billion from the signing of 19 memoranda of understanding between Chinese and Malaysian companies in various sectors, especially in green technology and the digital economy.
China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner since 2009. In 2022, bilateral trade reached RM487.13 billion, an expansion of 15.6% from 2021. – Bernama, April 3, 2023
