专家:中国与马来西亚间贸易潜力巨大

Malaysia is China's biggest trade partner among the member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Trade between China and Malaysia has grown ten-fold over the past decade, reaching some 68 billion US dollars so far this year.

Tham Siew Yean is an economics professor at the University Kebangsaan in Malaysia.

She contends that on-top of the bilateral trade figures continuing to grow, so is the structure of trade between the two sides.

"So we find that in Malaysia-China trade, there is a shift. If we come and look at the previous data, in terms of the types of goods that have been exported and imported. I think in the older days it was more resource-based, wood and wood products, I believe. Now it is electrical and electronics."

Tham says Malaysia welcomes investment from China, which she contends will help Malaysia become a regional financial hub.

"Malaysia is very interested in becoming an Islamic financial hub. I think that is something that can contribute to us and the development of China. I think Malaysia has investment interests in China and China has also increasing investments in Southeast Asia. So there is potentials in both countries to grow and develop."

Tham notes China and Southeast Asian countries are also looking to expand a free trade zone, which she says will further promote bilateral trade between China and Malaysia.

"So I believe we can maybe accelerate. Services liberalization is progressive as in the AFA's agreement. So we can upgrade in terms of opening more sectors. We can deepen our commitments in the same way in the investment. I think if we upgrade the agreement in terms of services and investments, it will promote investments and services trade, besides just goods trade."

Tham also says one of the areas Malaysian authorities are looking toward China more for is the service sector, which is fast becoming a pillar of the Malaysian economy.

For CRI, I am Jordan Lee.