Rehda Institute leads Malaysian property delegation to Suzhou and Shanghai to court Chinese manufacturers
About 40 Malaysian property and industrial sector leaders will visit Suzhou and Shanghai from Nov 16 to 19 to connect with Chinese manufacturers planning Southeast Asian expansion. The mission follows a September research trip and aims to match developers and landowners with companies seeking overse
PETALING JAYA (Nov 5) — About 40 Malaysian property and industrial sector leaders are due to visit Suzhou and Shanghai from Nov 16 to 19 as Rehda Institute seeks to connect local developers and landowners with Chinese manufacturers planning to expand in Southeast Asia.
The delegation will include state and local authority representatives and will be led by Rehda Institute chairman Datuk Jeffrey Ng Tiong Lip. A business forum and matching session on Nov 17 will bring delegates together with selected Chinese companies considering expansion in the region, the institute said.
The trip follows a five-day research visit to the two cities in September. Executives at China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park Development Group Co Ltd (CSSD) told the institute that carmakers, solar and new energy companies, and consumer brands were setting up overseas plants to reach new customers. Earlier waves of expansion, they said, were driven by lower labour costs and China–US trade tensions.
CSSD told the institute it had helped about 200 Chinese companies set up in Singapore over five years. It is developing a centre in Johor and already works with Malaysian developers in Johor, Selangor and Penang.
Rehda Institute said Malaysian developers could address some of the risks by offering sites with titles, utilities and approvals in place, as well as ready-built factories. The institute said the participation of state and local officials would give them and developers a chance to study the same industrial park models.
The mission follows Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s September visit to China. Rehda Institute cited two-way trade of RM456.68 billion in the first eight months of 2026, up 35.1 per cent, and approved investment from China of RM58 billion in 2025, up from RM28.2 billion in 2024.
Rehda Institute plans to launch its Industrial Property Guidebook for Malaysia during the mission and is working with EdgeProp on a Mandarin edition. It also expects to host some of the international delegates at its CEO Series on Jan 12, 2027, at Nexus Bangsar South.
