Malaysia seeks closer cooperation with China's aviation sector

This photo taken on Nov. 23, 2023 shows models of maritime rescue helicopter exhibited at the booth of Aviation Industry Corporation of China during the 2023 Aero Asia show in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia seeks to gain from China's technology in the aviation sector to play a bigger role in global supply chain in the sector, an official said on Monday.

"China's fast-growing aerospace industry will bring new opportunities and new dynamics which Malaysia hopes to tap into," Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Liew Chin Tong said in his keynote speech at the Malaysia-China Aviation Forum 2024.

"Malaysia already has a credible and meaningful presence in aviation material and aircraft parts and components manufacturing. We hope to do more and be a more important part of the global supply chain," he added.

The forum underscores a collaboration that brings together Chinese expertise and Malaysia's aspiration to be an indispensable part of the global aerospace industry supply chain.

Based on the Malaysian Aerospace Industry Blueprint 2030, Malaysia aims to be the main aerospace nation in Southeast Asia as well as an integral part of the global market by 2030, with an expected annual revenue of 55.2 billion ringgit (11.5 billion U.S. dollars) and over 32,000 high-income jobs created, according to Liew.