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Ningxia and Malaysian users reach agreement on exploring Halal investment
2025-05-15
Kuala Lumpur, January 4 (Xinhua) – China's Ningxia Light and Textile Industry Bureau, a provincial agency responsible for promoting light industry, reached a cooperation agreement last Friday with Malaysia's East Coast Economic Zone (ECER) to explore global halal industry investment opportunities. The agreement, signed in the Malaysian state of Pahang, covers manufacturing, halal certification, logistics, information sharing policies, and research and development for industries ranging from processed food and beverages to pharmaceuticals, Muslim clothing, and cosmetics. An ECER spokesperson told Xinhua that the agreement is in its preliminary stages, and specific details of the cooperation will be announced next month when Prime Minister Najib Razak launches the 1Malaysia-China Joint Industrial Park in Kuantan. The ECER is an economic development corridor spanning four states along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The 66,000 square kilometer economic zone, housing three halal industrial parks, has generated $2.13 trillion in revenue for Islamic goods and agricultural products, contributing significantly to the global halal market.
"There is now an international halal highway that facilitates the cross-border flow of products and services. This MoU will boost bilateral trade between Malaysia and China and allow ECER and Ningxia Province to strengthen this highly profitable highway, representing the respective positions of both parties," said Jebasingam Issace John, CEO of ECER. He added that the economic region will share its expertise in successfully planning and developing halal industrial parks with its Ningxia partners. The Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, home to approximately 11% of China's 20 million Muslims, has been designated by the Chinese government as a production base for halal food.
Second Article
Fahirul N. Ramli, Business Times
Kuantan: Pahang has been designated as a regional halal hub through a collaboration between the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) and China's Ningxia Light and Textile Industry Bureau (NLTIB). Located in north-central China, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, home to a large Muslim population, is a government-designated production hub for halal food products. With socio-economic and industrial development underway, NLTIB has been appointed as the regional authorized agency. Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob stated that the collaboration will cover manufacturing, business support, halal certification, warehousing and logistics, information sharing, and research and development.
"Targeted industries include halal meat, biological products, pharmaceuticals, and Muslim clothing." Pahang is positioned as a key area for the development of halal agricultural products. "We have a variety of commercial agriculture and farms that can benefit from this project," he said after witnessing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between ECERDC and NLTIB yesterday. Adnan said the strategic collaboration will help increase employment and alleviate poverty through entrepreneurial development. ECERDC CEO Datuk Jebasingam Issace John said the agreement will boost trade between the two countries and enable ECER and Ningxia Province to strengthen the construction of a lucrative international halal highway. "According to the World Fair Trade Organization, the global halal market is expected to grow by US$2.13 trillion (RM6.49 trillion) annually," he said.
The seven-member Chinese delegation, led by Wang Jing, Director of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Investment Promotion Agency, Department of Commerce, also visited the 80-hectare Grand Halal Park (GHP) in the Special Economic Zone near the ECER. GHP boasts infrastructure including warehousing, transportation, and logistics services and facilities. GHP is accredited by the Malaysian Halal Development Corporation for international HALMAS certification, producing halal products that meet the certification's standards for quality, integrity, and safety. Continuing previous efforts to strengthen ties between the two countries, the latest collaboration saw the establishment of the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP). Last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the establishment of the MCKIP in return for China's reservation of 55 square kilometers of land in Qinzhou and Nanning for a joint venture project with Malaysia.
GHP and MCKIP are scheduled to launch in March.