By Shikin Louis
MIRI, Nov 7: Sarawak is attracting growing international interest, with Canadian and Chinese sovereign wealth funds exploring investment opportunities in the State while Russia has expressed interest in collaborating on rocket launches.
Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said he had recently met an Italian businessman representing a Canadian sovereign wealth fund, who indicated that the fund and its Chinese counterpart were interested in investing in Sarawak.
He said the investors were drawn by Sarawak’s policies and its human capital potential.
“I asked them why they were interested. They said they had heard a lot about Sarawak, our policies, and believed we had promising human capital,” he said when officiating at the opening of the FORUM Cultural Centre here today, which was streamed live on Facebook by Sarawak Public Communication Unit (UKAS).
Abang Johari also said SoftBank Group had shown interest in Sarawak, although he did not elaborate on the nature of the proposed investment or collaboration.
He said international visitors were now coming to Sarawak almost every month, including representatives from Russia.
On Russia, he said the country’s ambassador had approached Sarawak about cooperation in launching rockets, with the State’s location near the equator and available human resources seen as potential advantages.
“I had instead discussed satellite technology with the Russian representative, who expressed interest in bringing Sarawak on board as a partner to launch Russia’s own rockets,” he added.
Abang Johari said Sarawak’s proximity to the equator and its human capital could make it a suitable partner for such cooperation. — DayakDaily
