Sabah looks to China for partnerships in renewable energy, sustainability initiatives - Phoong

26 April 2023

By Wartawan Nabalu News

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Phoong Jin Zhe has returned from a five-day working visit to China, where he met with potential investors in renewable energy and industrial sectors.

Phoong said his visit aimed to establish bilateral relations and attract more beneficial investments for Sabah, especially in developing the industrial chain and building a complete industrial ecosystem.

He visited the factory of SBH Kibing, a photovoltaic glass producer for solar panels, which is opening a manufacturing plant at the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park in the fourth quarter of 2023.

"We shared our aspirations to the Kibing group and we hope to see more Sabahans being employed at the Sabah’s factory during our luncheon with local Sabahans who were sent to Zhangzhou for training earlier," he said.

He also discussed with the management team of China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC) and China Tianying (CNTY) on developing clean energy sources such as hydro, solar, waste-to-energy and energy vaults.

"As our neighbour, Sarawak, is already looking into developing hydrogen power plants, we must not lag behind and miss the opportunity to explore more clean and renewable energy sources," he said.

Phoong was also invited by the Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce of China to attend the sixth China International Import Expo. He also visited the Embassy of Malaysia in Beijing and the Malaysian Investment Development Authority's Global Office in Beijing.

He was accompanied by senior officials from his ministry, Energy Commission of Sabah, POIC Sabah Sdn Bhd, Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park, Sipitang Oil and Gas Development Corporation and Sabah Energy Corporation.

The delegation visited two major cities in China, Xiamen and Beijing.