Chua (second left) receiving his appointment letter from MCBC chairman Dato Seri Tiong King Sing.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Air Aviation Sdn Bhd (SAASB) chairman Kenny Chua has been appointed as the first Sabahan to head the Task Force of Aviation Industry by the Malaysia-China Business Council (MCBC).
The MCBC provides business information and investment opportunities while enabling China investors to better understand Malaysia’s conducive business environment and investment potentials.
His appointment as chairman of the task force is hoped would set a dynamic leadership for the country’s aviation industry which is a key driver of economic development, particularly in the context of Malaysia’s economic relationship with China.
Chua acknowledges that the current pandemic situation has affected trade by air globally but he welcomes the challenge nonetheless.
“It’s a time for us to build the industry stronger than ever before,” he said in a statement.
He noted that China has been an important trading partner for Malaysia with statistics showing bilateral trade volume in hundreds of billions, at least in 2018 alone, with the local aviation industry being one of the biggest beneficiaries, especially through tourism.
“Although Covid-19 has forced our tourism industry into hibernation, we can still – and we must – try to open our skies as wide as we can so that we can explore and develop other sectors through the aviation industry,” said Chua who is also Parti Solidariti Tanahairku’s Penampang parliamentary coordinator and the party’s Chinese community bureau member.
He pledged to use his role in the task force to make significant contributions to the development of aviation in Sabah.
He disclosed that the state government through the SAASB has plans in place to boost the industry in the post-Covid era which would involve trade and eco-tourism activities with economic superpower, China.
“I see that the sky is the limit when it comes to ideas for innovative growth in the aviation sector. And I believe that the MCBC is where great ideas would be developed, nurtured and realised. After all, China and Malaysia are two nations which had gone to space. Since we had gone that far, anything else below the earth’s atmosphere is not impossible. We can overcome any challenge to take the aviation industry forward.
“It won’t be an easy task. But through teamwork, we can spread our wings and conquer the skies way higher than we ever did in the past,” he added.
He also foresees that when all the plans start to gain momentum, Sabah would rise of become a key aviation player in the region.
“Perhaps by then we could explore the possibility of either expanding our existing international airport or build another one. It’s possible.
“We must always bear in mind that the economic dynamics in Borneo would soon transform once the new capital of Indonesia finds a home in Kalimantan.
“By establishing stronger economic links with China via the aviation industry, we will benefit such a transformation,” he pointed out.
It was reported that by 2038, global air transport was forecast to support more than 100 million jobs and contribute to trillions of dollars to the global economy.
It was also reported that the aviation industry supported USD3.5 trillion or 4.1 per cent of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP).