Malaysia Expo 2020 Dubai to draw RM10b potential trade

By ANIS FARHANAH MALEK
anisfarhanah@dagangnews.com

KUALA LUMPUR 12 August - Malaysia’s participation in Expo Dubai 2020 will see the country draws RM10 billion in potential trade and investment.

With over 200 companies expected to join, they will be promoting their products and services towards realising the target as it remains as Malaysia’s top priority at the expo.  

Deputy Secretary-General at Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), Dr. Mohd. Nor Azman Hassan said, Expo 2020 Dubai continues to be viewed as a platform to enhance trade and investment, just as Malaysia has experienced in past world expos. 

“The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is Malaysia’s largest trading partner in the Middle East and Expo 2020 Dubai will present us an opportunity to further enhance our bilateral trade and ties. It is also due to our close ties with UAE that we remain committed to delivering our best at Expo 2020.

“In this time of adversity which none of us expected to happen, the support and partnership given to use by our multi-stakeholders is truly encouraging. It gives us the added boost and spirit to achieve great outcomes for our country’s economy, post COVID-19,” said him in a speech during ‘Malaysia Expo 2020 Dubai Celebrates International Youth Day’ event at Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (MGTC), today. 

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Also present, Brand Ambassador for Malaysia Pavilion’s MyButterflyEffect campaign, Tunku Zain Al-’Abidin Tuanku Muhriz; MGTC’s Chief Executive Officer, Shamsul Bahar Mohd. Nor as well as two invited inspiring youths; Co-Founder of PichaEats, Suzanne Ling and Producer and Co-Founder of Studio Birthplace, Sean Lin.

Following the COVID-19, Expo 2020 Dubai and Bureau International des Exposition (BIE), which governs the world expo decided to postpone the event for a year, which will now be held from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 with its initial name retained.

MOSTI and MGTC as the lead ministry and implementing agency respectively, have been permissioned by the Malaysia’s cabinet to continue the preparation for Expo 2020 Dubai which involves 192 countries.

Despite a disruption in Malaysia’s respective preparations, the construction of Malaysia Pavilion continues in Dubai and currently at 40% progress.

Meantime,Shamsul said, the RM40 million sponsorship target for Malaysia’s participation at the expo produces many challenges towards realising it.

“Actually when the COVID-19 hit us hard, we were looking at various ways of how to mitigate things and we had a lot of contingency planning put in place, that we are able to be on the right track.

“Even though we cannot achieve the target, to achieve 80% out of it is very much we call it, a success,” said him. - DagangNews.com