DUBAI, March 14 — Melaka launched Melaka Week at Expo 2020 Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today by focusing on investment in the Melaka Waterfront Economic Zone (M-WEZ), a high-impact coastal economic corridor.

The strategic location of M-WEZ at the Straits of Melaka is considered an advantage and strength to woo more investors to the state.

Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali said M-WEZ was a suitable location for investments in the shipping, maritime activities, logistics and manufacturing sectors.

He said the M-WEZ involved the reclamation of a 23,000-acre (9,307.7-hectare) site along a span of 33 kilometres (km).

He explained that the location was being developed as a container centre, ferry and cruise ship terminal, duty-free zone, logistics hub, oil and gas terminal, ship repair facility as well as for ship-to-ship transfer activities.

"There are a lot of reasons why investors wanting to expand their businesses should come to Melaka. Melaka is situated between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

"Melaka is also located near Sumatera, Indonesia, which is a rapidly growing economic market with a population of over 60 million.

"The nearest distance between these two is just 47km, (so) for long-term planning we plan to build an underground tunnel for a rail system network across the Straits of Melaka, linking Dumai in Sumatera and Melaka,” he said.

He said this at the launch of Melaka Week at Expo 2020 Dubai at the Malaysia Pavilion today.

Among the dignitaries at the event were Malaysian Ambassador to the UAE Datuk Mohd Tarid Sufian; State Secretary Datuk Zaidi Johari; state Investment, Industrial and Entrepreneur Development Committee chairman Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusof; state Works, Transport, Public Facilities, Infrastructure and Flood Management Committee chairman Datuk Rahmad Mariman; and Consul General of Malaysia in Dubai Mohd Hasril Abdul Hamid.

Sulaiman said Melaka is also situated at the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT), which is currently active with cross-border trade activities.

Another interesting opportunity shared by Sulaiman in his speech was about medical tourism, which previously attracted many Indonesians seeking quality treatment in Melaka.

"The current political stability also supports the growth of this corridor. Specific agencies at the federal, state and district levels are also ready to assist investors keen on coming to Melaka.

"In fact, this state has over 20 institutions of higher learning which produced trained workforce in various fields,” he said. — Bernama