The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) led a participation of 107 Malaysian companies and 9 other government agencies, occupying 116 booths at the recently concluded 20th China – ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) 2023, which was held in Nanning, China from 16 – 19 September 2023.
Malaysia’s participation, regarded as one of largest in the event, ended with another resounding success, reporting an overall export sale worth RM625.42 million.
The participation outlined impactful activities and programmes arranged by MATRADE which included livestreaming sessions with Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) and business meetings with established Chinese companies being clients to major Chinese banks.
The recorded export sales are in food & beverage, healthcare & wellness, lifestyle products as well as services.
The 20th CAEXPO symbolises two pivotal milestones – the 20th anniversary of China-ASEAN strategic partnership and the inception of CAEXPO. Malaysia’s participation in the event this year also marked the 20th participation since 2004.
Malaysia’s participation was further strengthened with presence of key government agencies such as Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), Malaysia Investment Development Authority (MIDA), Education Malaysia (EM), Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), Department of Industrial Development and Research (DIDR Sabah), Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA), East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC), and PR1MA Corporation Malaysia. Meanwhile, Tourism Malaysia organised a series of colourful performances promoting Malaysia tourism at the City of Charm Hall.
Malaysia Pavilion represented a wide range of industries, including wellness, pharmaceuticals, personal care, Halal, and, most importantly, green and sustainable products / services.
The wide sectoral engagement reflects the changes and needs brought about by China’s massive population, consumer segments, high buying power, and lifestyle changes.
During the 4 days of exhibition, promotion was enhanced with various activities at the Malaysia Pavilion, which included KOL livestreaming sessions attended by millions of Chinese viewers, products selection, media interviews, cooking demonstrations of our red palm oil as well as launching of the cross border QR payment to facilitate further business transactions between Malaysia and China enterprises.
Malaysia Pavilion also highlighted MATRADE’s illustrious 30th year of anniversary with 49 offices worldwide, the World Trade Promotion Organizations (WTPO) Award under the “Best Use of Information Technology”, Malaysia’s key industries as well as Malaysia – China Bilateral trade growth from the start of CAEXPO in 2004 until 2022.
Datuk Mohd Mustafa Abdul Aziz, CEO of MATRADE said that “China, being our largest trading partner, certainly remains as one of our most important export markets for Malaysian companies. As a result of MATRADE’s strategies and proactive efforts including in arranging impactful activities and business meetings, Malaysia’s participation in CAEXPO has secured significant value of export sales and business partnerships”.
The continued sourcing by the Chinese buyers demonstrates the quality, resilience and competitiveness of Malaysian products and services, rolling on the growth momentum of the trade dealings between Malaysia and China at CAEXPO for the past 20 years. MATRADE takes pride in its three decades of championing global excellence to continue focusing on enhancing the close engagement with the Chinese business communities in connecting them with Malaysian capable exporters in order to drive exports to China, added Datuk Mohd Mustafa.
For the period of 2004 – 2022, Malaysia’s trade with China expanded by almost sixfold. China was ranked as Malaysia’s 4th largest trading partner in 2004 and later moved up to be Malaysia’s largest trading partner in 2009 for 14 consecutive years, with an average annual Growth (AAG) of 12%. China also became Malaysia’s 2nd largest export market in 2022 and Malaysia’s largest import source since 2011.
