Consul-Gen's advice on hiring Chinese labour
Published on: Friday, November 27, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Two aspects need to be considered on the question of recruiting workers from China for the labour force in Sabah.Consul-General of the People's Republic of China in Kota Kinabalu, Chen Peijie, said this is on whether local legislation and the Government's labour policy allow more foreign workers to come and work here."This is a very important pre-condition and I myself am not very clear about that," she said, after her first official visit to the Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKCCCI) at its premises, here, Thursday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Secondly, whether more Chinese workers are willing to work in Sabah, given improved living standards back home. "Some of the told me they prefer to remain in their own country. So, it's interesting and depends on these two factors."She was asked to comment on the statement by the President of the Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKCCCI), Datuk Michael Lui Yen Sang that local businessmen were increasingly becoming more interested in recruiting workers from China.Lui urged the Consulate in Sabah to provide detailed information on the terms and conditions for such recruitment.
ADVERTISEMENT
While welcoming KKCCCI's idea of setting up a branch of China Bank or Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in Kota Kinabalu, Chen said it would depend on other objective elements such as receptivity of the local business community and wishes of the local government."I would like to help and I think it would be a good thing if we can have a branch here. If there is strong appeal from the local business community, I will report to my Government accordingly, and also let the Headquarters of China Bank know the people's desire for a branch here," she said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Lui's contention is that such facility would effectively promote bilateral trade and investment facilitation.On KKCCCI's call to China to reciprocate the Malaysian Government's move to provide visa-free entry to attract more Chinese tourists, Chen said for now, there is no visa exemption treaty between these two countries."It is one-sided, not a bilaterally agreed measure. That's one thing. The other thing is I always hold the view that visa-free entry is a complicated issue for a government to consider."As a government, even for the Malaysian Government, I fully understand why it took a long time to make such a decision. They have to consider whether it is safe for the country when they open their doors to more people in view of current terrorist attacks in the world," she pointed out.Lui hoped that the Consul-General would convey KKCCCI's and the local business community's request to the China Government for visa-free travel and business for Malaysian citizens to enter China. "This is one of the easiest ways to boost tourist numbers and cross-border transactions," he said.In response, Chen assured: "I will try...we need to gather more views from a wider segment of the community. If there are similar views from more groups, I will let my Government know."Earlier, in his address, Lui expressed KKCCCI's gratitude to Chen for having listened to the desire of the Sabah people such that Malaysians in Sabah and Labuan Federal Territory can apply for China visas at its consulate here by the end of the year.Lui also urged Chen to lead the way by helping Sabah business community to create and seize new business opportunities generated by China's "Belt and Road" initiatives.The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road was first proposed by China in 2013, aimed at fostering collaboration with Southeast Asia, Oceania and Africa.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
