Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park to be fast-tracked

Friday, 18 May 2012 04:25

An operational framework for the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP) will be planned within the next three months.

The MCKIP was mooted as a sister industrial area in response to the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park, which was launched recently by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and China's Premier, Wen Jiabao.

The China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park is located about two hours' drive from the Gangxi Zhuang autonomous region's capital of Nanning.

East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) chief executive officer Datuk Jebasingam Issace John said that they are still looking at the development of a business model for the MCKIP and will work closely with the Pahang state government to fast track the project.

The 1,500-acre MCKIP is sited within the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) at Gebeng town in Kuantan.

Kuantan was chosen for the MCKIP project because it has a port that faces the South China Sea, the most direct link to the deepwater Qinzhou port and others in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. "It is only three days sailing time between Kuantan and Qinzhou," said Datuk Jebasingam.

He added that the private sector would play a significant role in the MCKIP, while the ECERDC and Pahang state government would provide infrastructure support: "Investors will get the incentives that we already offer.These include tax holidays for up to 10 years, and we work together with the state government to give them competitive land pricing. The whole idea is that we want investors to have an effective cost of doing business."

Target industries for the MCKIP are plastic and metal equipment industries, automotive components, fibre cement board, stainless steel products, food processing, carbon fibre, electrical and electronics, information communication technology (ICT), consumer products, and renewable energy.

"MCKIP will be more focused on Malaysia-China business synergies and co-operation. What is important now is for our local business community to take advantage of this. As we move on in the future, our strategy will also be to look at emerging industries - energy saving, environmentally-friendly technologies, biotechnology, new generation ICT, high-end equipment manufacturing, advanced materials and alternative fuels," Datuk Jebasingam said.

Adapted from The Star's StarBiz