Kota Kinabalu: Education, Science, Technology and Innovation minister Datuk James Ratib said his ministry’s is open to technology transfer from abroad, particularly from China, as part effort to strengthen Sabah’s education, science, technology and innovation.
He said this when receiving a courtesy visit from the Sabah-China Chamber of Commerce, comprising 14 delegates led by its President, Datuk Frankie Liew, together with Deputy President Brett Chua.
During the meeting, James outlined the direction of concrete cooperation between the ministry and the private sector.
He stressed that innovation is the main driving force behind Sabah’s development, and expressed hope that the Sabah-China Chamber of Commerce would continue to play an active role by assisting and submitting proposals to the state government to introduce advanced technologies from China to Sabah.
According to him, the strong strategic relationship between the Sabah-China Chamber of Commerce and industries in China is an advantage that should be fully leveraged.
“The President, Datuk Frankie Liew, has close ties with companies in China, and these relationships are crucial in opening up opportunities for technological cooperation, investment and talent development in Sabah,” he said.
James also emphasised that the ministry welcomes all forms of strategic cooperation that can be implemented between both parties, particularly initiatives involving technology transfer, local talent development and the adoption of new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), in line with the state’s development agenda.
He further welcomed initiatives, technologies and expertise from abroad, especially from China, to strengthen the technology industry and skills training in Sabah, including in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
Meanwhile, Deputy President of the Sabah-China Chamber of Commerce, Brett Chua, said that China possesses several TVET-related training technologies with the potential to be shared.
However, Sabah currently lacks a suitable platform to fully receive and implement these technologies. As such, he described the visit as an important starting point towards realising strategic cooperation in the TVET sector between both parties.
Also present during the courtesy visit were the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Hassan Mahali, and the Minister’s Political Secretary, Justinus Jalang.
The ministry is confident that this strategic collaboration between the government and the private sector will open up more opportunities in education, science, technology and innovation, thereby contributing to human capital development and the sustainable progress of Sabah.
