Kota Kinabalu: Datuk Frankie Liew, President of the Sabah China Chamber of Commerce (SCCC), has highlighted the growing demand among China’s middle class and younger consumers for high-quality, healthy, natural, and exotic-flavored food products, as Asean businesses look to expand into the Chinese market.
Frankie made the remarks while attending the 2025 China (Chongqing)–ASEAN Logistics Industry Cooperation Conference, where he represented SCCC in signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Administrative Committee of the Chongqing Highway Logistics Base for the Malaysia Food Trade Cooperation Project.
The agreement is seen as a major step in strengthening trade collaboration between Malaysia and China in food and agricultural sectors.
During the Food and Agricultural Products Trade Matchmaking Session held alongside the conference, Frankie noted the strong enthusiasm and keen interest shown by ASEAN enterprises in exploring business opportunities in China.
“As one of the world’s largest consumer markets, China holds tremendous potential for ASEAN agricultural and food products,” he said.
He also pointed to China’s advanced capabilities in food processing, packaging, cold chain logistics, branding, and cross-border e-commerce, which provide valuable insights and collaboration opportunities for ASEAN businesses.
He added that ASEAN products such as bird’s nest, tropical fruits, seafood, spices, and coffee are already gaining recognition among Chinese consumers.
“However, many ASEAN enterprises have found that China’s requirements for food safety, quarantine, labeling, and traceability are stringent and constantly evolving.
Limited understanding of Chinese consumer preferences, packaging aesthetics, and marketing trends has also posed challenges for some small and medium-sized enterprises,” he said.
Frankie emphasized the strategic role of Chongqing as a key city in Western China with unique geographical advantages and development potential.
“Although Chongqing is not a coastal port, its logistics network extends to Chengdu, Guiyang, Xi’an, Zhengzhou, and Lanzhou, covering much of Western and Central China. Chongqing can serve as a transit and value-added processing hub for ASEAN agricultural products, complementing the strengths of China’s coastal cities,” he explained.
The matchmaking session received positive feedback from ASEAN participants, who said the event had significantly boosted the visibility and recognition of their products in the Chinese market.
Frankie concluded by expressing confidence that with the concerted efforts of both sides, ASEAN–Chongqing trade cooperation will continue to grow and achieve greater results in the coming years.
