MCCM eyes China’s Muslim market

KUALA
LUMPUR: The Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia (MCCM) is targeting
Shaanxi’s province 100,00 Muslim population in a bid to break into the
global halal market worth RM1 trillion.

“There is strong
international demand for halal product especially from West Asia,” MCCM
president Syed Ali Alattas said at a press conference on Feb 22 in
conjunction with the Shaanxi province delegation’s visit to the
chamber.

“We have a number of
sheep cattle in the northern part of Shaanxi. The export of beef is one
of the major exports of the province,” Shaanxi provincial government
director of port affairs office Wang Guolong said.

“If the chamber wants,
we could specially provide land in the central part of the province for
growing and producing Muslim products.”

The Shaanxi delegation
was here to discuss MCCM’s participation in the 12th Investment and
Trade Forum for Cooperation between East and West China.

The forum has played
an important role in promoting progress of East, Middle and West China.
“Malaysia is currently China’s eighth-largest trading partner. With
future trade cooperation with Shaanxi, I don’t see why Malaysia can’t
be China’s fourth-largest trading partner by 2010.” Syed Ali said.

The chamber has been
allocated 100 places with 70 in total confirmed so far which include 20
members from the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

MCCM said other
participants in the Malaysian delegation included the Associated
Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Malaysia (ACCCIM), Malaysian
Associated Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MAICCI) and
Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM).

The 12th Investment
and Trade Forum would be held from April 5-9 at the Qujiang
International Conference and Exhibition Centre in Xi’an, Shaanxi. The
forum will have 2,600 booths and accommodate delegations from China’s
31 provinces, 100,000 guests and 4,000 international clients.