WEDNESDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER 2019, KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) is spearheading the participation of Malaysian companies at the 16th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) 2019 in Nanning, China from 21 – 24 September 2019 aims to boost the access of Malaysian companies to not only China, but ASEAN and countries located along the Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) route.


Led by YB Datuk Darell Leiking, the Minister of International Trade and Industry, this year’s edition will see the participation of 167 Malaysian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) offering various Malaysian-made products and services. This would be MATRADE’s 16th year leading the Malaysian delegation at this renowned event.


According to MATRADE’s Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Wan Latiff Wan Musa, “Over the years, MATRADE has facilitated more than 1,700 Malaysian SMEs engagements at CAEXPO. We have observed that beyond enhancing trade relations, the event has also helped to encourage the flow of investment and tourism between the two countries.”

“We have been very aggressive in promoting Malaysian export to China and with our five offices in the market. For the past two decades, our Trade Commissioners there have accumulated a sizeable database of buyers and partners who can be matched with our local SMEs. CAEXPO provided a platform for us to execute the matching in a conducive business environment,” Wan Latiff shared.

A series of business-matching session will also be organised by MATRADE in collaboration with China Construction Bank. The B2B matching will enhance the prospects of Malaysian companies securing export deals with the buyers in China.

China is Malaysia’s largest trading partner since 2009 and it is a key market for a lot of Malaysian SMEs. Over the years, Malaysia Pavilion at CAEXPO has been one of the most visited Pavilions as the Chinese consumers are familiar with the high quality of our Malaysian brands.

“The presence of Malaysian companies at CAEXPO can be considered a strategic move. The Chinese government has earmarked CAEXPO as one of the country’s key BRI efforts,” Wan Latiff said.

Among the sectors to be promoted in CAEXPO include Food and Beverages, Health and Wellness, Lifestyle as well as Services such as Franchises.

Last year, Malaysian companies that participated in the exhibition had generated total sales of RM639.66 million, a 58 per cent increase as compared to RM405.5 million in 2017. Malaysia Pavilion was also recognised with two awards at last year’s event - the Best Industry Organiser and Outstanding Organiser.

Apart from the private sector, CAEXPO is also participated by other Government Agencies and business chambers. This year, a total of twelve Malaysian Ministries and Government Agencies will take part in CAEXPO, namely the Malaysia Investment Development Authority (MIDA), Federal Agricultural and Marketing Authority (FAMA), Invest Selangor Berhad, Ministries of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), Tourism Selangor, Invest Selangor, Selangor State Economic Planning Unit (UPEN Selangor), Ministry of Trade and Industry Sabah, Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA), Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA), Perak State Economic Planning Unit (UPEN Perak) and Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Berhad (CGC).

Complementing the trade exhibition are other highlights of events from Malaysia such as the launch of City of Charm – Selangor by Tourism Malaysia and the China ASEAN Business Investment Summit (CABIS) by MIDA.

In 2018, Malaysia’s total trade with China was RM313.81 billion as compared to RM290.40 billion recorded in 2017 – a growth of 8.1 per cent. Malaysia’s export to China was valued at RM138.88 billion while import was recorded at RM174.93 billion. Major Exports to China included Electrical & Electronics, Chemical & Chemical products, Petroleum products, LNG and Manufactures of Metal.