HONG KONG, May 23 — Malaysia and Hong Kong have agreed to collaborate in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as well as the economy for mutual benefit.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said it was agreed upon during his meeting with Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) here today.

Ahmad Zahid is currently on his first official visit to China since assuming the position of Deputy Prime Minister in December 2022, and the visit, which began yesterday until June 1, is at the invitation of Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang.

"In Hong Kong, several polytechnics and TVET technical schools have been very successful in conducting courses, especially in emerging fields that are also being explored and initiated in Malaysia.

"They are ready to assist by initiating training for trainers, which involves sending our educators to receive training in Hong Kong, followed by exchange student programmes,” he told Malaysian journalists here Thursday.

Currently, there are 500 Malaysian students studying at universities in Hong Kong, with 95 per cent of them being scholarship recipients.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid, who is also minister of rural and regional development, said that the discussions also included the establishment of a trade and economy office by the Hong Kong government in Kuala Lumpur, as well as efforts to increase the involvement of fund managers from the Special Administrative Region in Bursa Malaysia (the Malaysian stock exchange).

"They have agreed to establish a trade and economy office in Kuala Lumpur, and its purpose is to facilitate business transactions, administrative matters, and financial affairs in Malaysia because in Hong Kong, we (Malaysia) have a consulate general office to facilitate all matters.

"After more than a year and a half of the Madani government administration in Malaysia, we see that the level of confidence and marketability sentiment has increased, and I take this opportunity to invite fund managers in Hong Kong to participate in boosting transactional activities on our stock exchange,” he said.

Ahmad Zahid said the meeting also touched on tourism aspects and the government will increase the number of flights for tourists from Hong Kong to Malaysia.

"There has been an increase of more than 1,200 per cent in tourist arrivals from Hong Kong to Malaysia. These tourists are not only heading to Kuala Lumpur but also Penang, Sabah, and Sarawak... thus three airlines from Hong Kong have initiated these flights.

"It is currently being handled by Motac (Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture) and MoT (Ministry of Transport),” he said.

Ahmad Zahid said Islamic tourism and the halal industry were also discussed.

"I provided some indications to assist them, especially through Muslim associations in Hong Kong for halal certification, and follow-up actions that can be carried out by the Halal Development Corporation and the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia,” he added. — Bernama