China Consulate office by April
Kota Kinabalu: The much anticipated China Consulate General office here will be set up in three months time. This was announced by Republic of China Consul General for Sarawak, Liu Quan, in a press conference here Friday.
He said the decision to set up the office here had been conveyed to the Head of State, Chief Minister, State Assembly Speaker and State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister when he paid a courtesy call on them.
“They welcomed the move and assured that they will provide the necessary assistance and support,” he said.
He said the consulate office in Kota Kinabalu would be a full-fledged one, starting with four staff, to provide services for visa applications, protection for Chinese citizens and facilitating trade, among others.
He also introduced Sun Xiaowu as Deputy Consul General while waiting for Beijing to announce the appointment of the Consul General for Kota Kinabalu.
He said the proposal to set up the office in Kota Kinabalu was announced when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Malaysia in 2013.
Liu, who started serving in Kuching one year ago, said he had since visited Sabah five times and during his meeting with Datuk Seri Musa Aman, the Chief Minister had requested the government of China to set up a consulate office and Bank of China branch in Kota Kinabalu.
“So now we have fulfilled his first request and usually the business (bank) will follow suit when the consulate office is set up,” said Liu, adding that officials from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) had visited Sabah to conduct feasible studies.
He believed the relationship between Sabah and China will be further strengthened when the consulate office is set up, as it will serve as a bridge and facilitator between both sides.
Despite several unfortunate incidents, he noted that the arrivals of Chinese visitors to Sabah almost reached 300,000 last year and he was optimistic the situation will improve soon as the State is a safe place to visit.
“I have visited Sabah five times, the State is safe and beautiful,” said Liu.
He hoped the relationship between Sabah and China would not be restricted to tourism only but comprehensive covering infrastructure, agriculture, scientific, research and development and education as many Chinese students are now studying in Universiti Malaysia Sabah in Kota Kinabalu and at its Labuan campus.
Meanwhile, the State Government welcomed the setting up of the consulate office in Sabah that will facilitate the needs of Chinese nationals visiting and working in the State.
“Visitors from China feel welcomed here because we are a multi-racial and multi-cultural state where peace and harmony prevails,” said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.
Musa said this when receiving a courtesy call by Liu at his official residence in Sri Gaya on Friday.
During the meeting, Liu told Musa that Sabah’s strategic location in the region was ideal for travel and business.
“The people here are very warm and hospitable. You have a very good social and economic environment. I am confident more Chinese will come,” he said.
He also said there was a lot of interest in Sabah in terms of business and investments, adding that China planned to invest US$50 billion overseas in the next five years.
Accompanying Liu during the courtesy call were the Vice Consul-General and head of Preparatory Team for China Consulate-General at Kota Kinabalu, Sun Xiaowu, Consul General of People’s Republic of China in Kuching, Li Jian, Dr Oi Ei Sun, the President of Ma-Zhong Friendship Association Sabah, and its Secretary General Steven Liaw Chee Kok.
Source: Daily Express
