By: Aida Aziz
IPOH: China has shown a growing interest in investing in Perak, particularly in Ipoh, compared to investors from other countries, including the West.
The Mayor of Ipoh, Datuk Rumaizi Baharin, stated that one of the reasons other countries may be less interested is possibly due to the level of infrastructure in the state and Ipoh as the capital, which is still not on par with states like Penang and Selangor.
“I believe the first factor is related to infrastructure. We are not yet complete in that aspect. For example, if we go to Kedah or Penang, we can say that they are almost complete, including gas and electricity, water, ports, transportation, and workforce.
“In Perak, we are just starting the tourism industry and others because we used to be a mining town.
“For European investors, if they want to invest in Ipoh, there must be good infrastructure,” he said in a recent interview.
However, he mentioned that China’s willingness to invest here is a catalyst for future progress and development.
According to Rumaizi, there are no issues such as claims made by some parties suggesting that the entry of Chinese investors will have a negative impact on the country.
“Last year, we went to Dubai to promote and attract investors to Ipoh, including in Central Asia, such as Uzbekistan, as well as Eastern and Western Europe.
“But we didn’t receive much response from those countries, unlike China. They quickly sent emails and expressed interest in investing.
“This means we have to accept the fact (that Western countries are less interested).
“Some claim that if people from China come to Ipoh, they won’t want to go back and will become voters here… that is not true. They come here solely for business purposes,” he added.
