KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 — Senior Minister cum Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali has expressed confidence that more Malaysian brands and products will be able to break into the highly competitive retail market in China through continuous promotions such as the Malaysia Week 2020.
He said Malaysia Week has introduced a wide range of Made-in-Malaysia brands and products to the huge online Chinese market through Alibaba Group’s various online platforms.
“The deep cooperation between the Malaysian government and Alibaba Group has certainly created an enabling ecosystem that allows local small and medium entreprenuers (SMEs) to scale up and grow their business globally, driving a sustainable economic growth,” he said in conjunction with the launch of the third edition of Malaysia Week on Wednesday.
Taking place from Sept 9 to 18, 2020, it is hosted by Alibaba Group on its various online platforms in collaboration with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).
It showcases Malaysia’s unique culture to consumers in China, building greater affinity and appeal of over 200 brands and 600 products of Malaysia.
This year’s Malaysia Week will see more online engagement and interaction, with the goal of showcasing Malaysian brands and retailers even more authentically through Alibaba’s digital tools and innovative technologies.
Key highlights include the debut of a wide array of Malaysian quality and varied products in China, including many new categories of products in areas such as footwear and cosmetics and a comprehensive line-up of livestreaming programmes.
This year’s opening ceremony was hosted online on Taobao Live, the livestreaming arm of Alibaba’s e-commerce platform which currently has a reach of more than 800 million monthly active users in China.
Meanwhile, Eric Jing, board member and partner of Alibaba Group, as well as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Ant Financial, said this year’s Malaysia Week will use the latest in digital technology and online marketing in order to assist with economic recovery and showcase the diverse products that Malaysia has to offer to Chinese consumers.
On the other hand, MDEC CEO Surina Shukri said Malaysia Week, which was the only week-long national-level campaign on Alibaba platforms, showcases hundreds of Malaysian-made products and specialities.
“MDEC appreciates the commitment of Alibaba to host the third edition of Malaysia Week to bring digitally-skilled businesses with high-quality Malaysian brands and products to consumers in China, as we work together to drive sustainable export from Malaysia to China.
“We are proud that Malaysia is fast establishing its position as the heart of digital ASEAN through this event,” she added.
Besides, Malaysia Week will also see brands drumming up their digital capabilities to deepen merchants’engagement with consumers both locally and overseas.
Alibaba Group’s online travel platform Fliggy will also be introducing flexible travel packages for the first time at Malaysia Week, targeted at Chinese tourists to help reboot Malaysia’s tourism industry in the post-pandemic economy.
Travel-hungry Chinese consumers will also get to be transported virtually to Malaysia through a series of Taobao Live broadcasts touring night markets, tea plantations and beaches, all from the comfort of their homes.
