GEORGE TOWN, Sept 20 — Penang recorded RM1.85 billion in approved manufacturing investments from China in the first half of this year (1H 2025), said Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
He said this accounts for nearly 15 per cent of the state’s total RM12.54 billion in manufacturing investments during the period, with 12 China-linked projects expected to create approximately 1,532 new job opportunities.
“The strong momentum underscores growing investor confidence in Penang’s industrial ecosystem, with around 65 Chinese companies already operating in the state.
In 2024, China was Penang’s second-largest trading partner, contributing 15.6 per cent of the state’s total exports,” Chow said in his speech during a reception celebrating the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, here yesterday.
He noted that a key milestone this year is the groundbreaking of INV New Material Technology (M) Sdn Bhd’s first plant in Malaysia, located in Penang Technology Park, Bertam.
The RM6.4 billion investment will significantly boost Malaysia’s electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem while generating hundreds of high-skilled jobs, said Chow.
He also highlighted that Chinese tourist arrivals through Penang International Airport have surged by more than 200 per cent — from 37,000 in 2023 to approximately 120,000 in 2024.
He said educational partnerships such as Chinese Government Scholarships and sister-school programmes, including the Wuxi–Penang exchange with SJK (C) Pai Teik, have broadened language learning and nurtured cultural understanding.
“These young people, enriched by travel and study, will carry our cooperation beyond trade statistics into shared innovation and lifelong friendships,” he said.
Earlier this year, the chief minister led a Penang delegation to Shandong, where they signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance government-to-government ties and people-to-people exchanges.
The delegation also engaged with Chinese enterprises in green energy, construction machinery, and logistics — strengthening Penang’s sister-state relationship and opening doors to high-impact partnerships.
Meanwhile, Acting Consul-General of China in Penang, Ding Qiao, said the Penang delegation’s participation in the “2025 Shandong International Friendship Cities Cooperation and Exchange Week” had sparked a new wave of local exchanges between China and Malaysia.
“Economic and trade cooperation between the four states of Northern Malaysia and China continues to deepen.
“The launch of a direct flight route from Chengdu to Penang also facilitates exchanges between the people of the two places,” she said. — Bernama
