“China, being the new technology power with companies such as Huawei, Tencent, Alibaba is also exploring this region and already has a presence. We need to be able to optimize the strength of collaboration and one of the ways we have done this is through the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ),” MDEC VP, Growth Ecosystem Development Norhizam Kadir told DEALSTREETASIA in an interview.
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is setting up a trade and logistics hub in Malaysia. Oracle had recently opened its first digital hub in Southeast Asia and this facility will help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia, and 21 other countries in Asia Pacific, to receive access and support to the cloud solutions and resources they need to power digital transformation.
Kadir said the developments such as Alibaba setting up a logistics hub were opportunities for the agency to support Malaysian SMEs aiming to penetrate the China market. The organisation, as a pilot, is onboarding 1,500 Malaysian SMEs onto the Alibaba platform to help them expand their market reach into the vast opportunity that is China.
MDEC has been working on digital areas like encouraging talent and entrepreneurship in big data, gaming and e-commerce. Recently, it started a Data Star Programme accelerating the growth of data professionals in Malaysia. Also, it has partnered with the National ICT Association of Malaysia (Pikom) for the five-day #MYCYBERSALE this year, targeting a gross merchandise value of MYR300 million. The aim is to boost Malaysia’s e-commerce industry by generating online shopping demand and encourage businesses to adopt e-commerce. Kadir also streesed the fact that Malaysia offered a great ‘test-bed for companies which are seeking to scale further into bigger markets’.
“Malaysia’s cost of doing business is one the lowest in the ASEAN region, and with the government’s business-friendly policies and various developmental initiatives from MDEC, Magic, Cradle and many others, it is extremely conducive for entrepreneurs to set-up, grow and scale from Malaysia,” he said.
Read more at: https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/malaysia-offers-test-bed-for-startups-seeking-to-scale-mdec-83998/
The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), the government backed agency trying to create a digital ecosystem in the country is unfazed by China emerging as the next technical power, with a senior executive from the firm stressing on the opportunity to collaborate between companies from both countries.
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