By Aida Aziz
IPOH: The interweaving of friendship cities between Ipoh and Dalian, China will provide economic and investment spillovers not only in this city but also in Perak in general.
The mayor of Ipoh, Datuk Rumaizi Baharin, said the proposal was a continuation of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s recent visit to China.
“We have already held a meeting with the mayor of Dalian, he came to Ipoh in early April.
“Their investment representatives also came and God willing they agreed to create the Ipoh-Dalian Technology Park in the proposed areas in Chepor and Khantan, here.
“We chose the area because it is a new area and the size is sufficient.
“Construction expectations will be finalized after the meeting, we will form a committee for monitoring first and it will be brought to the state level and if everything goes smoothly, it will continue,” he said.
He further explained that prior to this, Ipoh was more inclined to establish cooperation with Japan; now he said it is time to expand cooperation with China.
“Previously we focused more on Japan, but now we will cooperate with China as well,” he said.
He said this to reporters at a press conference after presiding over the April Council Plenary Meeting at the MBI Meeting Hall here on Friday.
In the meantime, Rumaizi added, with the cooperation through the friendship city, the three main sectors, namely the digital economy, education and tourism and culture, will be strengthened.
“Later on May 12, a delegation from China will come here and I will listen to the proposals made including the cooperation we are planning.
“MBI will not move alone, we will move with associations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and so on. This development work is a team effort,” he added.
