KUALA LUMPUR: More Chinese companies are expected to set up data centres in Malaysia in the next five years, said Malaysia-China Business Council.
Malaysia-China Business Council executive/director (acting) Datuk Alvin Tee said the council is seeing interest from Chinese companies to set up data centres in Malaysia, particularly in places like Cyberjaya.
He said Malaysia's strong IT infrastructure and a skilled workforce, makes it an attractive destination for digital investments.
"There is also interest in the semiconductor sector due to the ongoing US-China trade tensions, but it's important for us to ensure that any investments contribute positively to our GDP and don't just rely on cheap labour or materials.Instead of just focusing on trade surplus numbers, we should consider things like knowledge and technology transfer, as well as people-to-people connections, which have improved a lot over the past 50 years," he said.
"So, while there's definitely interest from China, it's crucial for our government to monitor and manage these investments to ensure long-term benefits for our economy," Alvin told reporters on the sideline of the Malaysia-China Commemorative Forum here today.
Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner for the past 15 years.
In 2023, total trade between our nations reached US$98.80 billion(RM450.84 billion), with imports from China accounting for USD56.69 billion (RM258.63 billion).
These imports primarily include electricaland electronics products, machinery, and chemicals, he said.
Source: https://www.nst.com.my/business/economy/2024/05/1047341/business-council-says-more-chinese-companies-are-looking-set-data