Malaysia ready to embrace Chinese partnership

Trade between China and Malaysia is expected to grow rapidly in the years to come thanks to an increased two-way involvement in trade events, according to a trade representative from Malaysia.

Suresh Kumar, trade consul of the Consulate General of Malaysia in Guangzhou, said enhanced cooperation in some large industrial events would help boost trade between the two countries.

According to Kumar, a delegation consisting of 115 Malaysian companies will participate in the annual China International Small and Medium Enterprises Fair, which opens Saturday in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province.

The companies are engaged in the businesse of food, beverage, property, construction, household products, service, and retail sectors, according to Kumar.

"Industrial events, such as the CISMEF (spell out the abbreviation in quotation for reader clarity), will be important platforms to promote Malaysian SMEs (spell out the abbreviation in quotation for reader clarity)," said Kumar.

As a co-host of this year's fair, Malaysia will promote its leading business during the event to boost trade and investment with China, according to Kumar.

China has become Malaysia's biggest trade partner since 2009, with bilateral trade exceeding $63.5 billion in 2014, according to Kumar.

Both countries jointly set up a goal to reach $160 billion in trade by 2017 when Chinese president Xi Jinping visited Malaysia in October 2013.