Malaysia, China Urged to Expedite Standards Recognition to Boost SME Collaboration
KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 (Bernama) -- The governments of Malaysia and China should accelerate the mutual recognition of standards and certifications, especially in the food, cosmetics, and medical product sectors, to streamline export processes and fully unlock the potential of Malaysia-China collaboration among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The Small and Medium Enterprises Association of Malaysia (SAMENTA) president William Ng said said this move would effectively reduce non-tariff barriers between the two markets.
“As the ‘younger’ sibling, we are hopeful China recognise that we will need help to build capacity and capability to compete and cooperate fairly with Chinese businesses.
“At the same time, inclusive trade agreements like the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and future bilateral deals must include dedicated SME chapters with practical, enforceable provisions to address this disparity in capacity and regulatory concerns,” he said in a statement Thursday.
Due to regulatory complexity and market entry barriers, Ng said China remains a daunting market for Malaysian SMEs.
“The concern among our SMEs regarding China’s intellectual property (IP) protection remains a key issue, particularly when selling our products, brands, and designs in that vast market.
“Equally important, our SMEs face challenges in competing on equal footing with Chinese firms due to limitation in resources, financing, and scale,” he said.
Given this, China must recognise this disparity in capabilities and ensure that any trade or business relationship does not unfairly disadvantage Malaysia.
He also called on both governments to create downstream programmes that enable SMEs to participate in emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, satellite applications, and green energy, through joint ventures, vendor development, or technology adoption.
Additionally, he emphasised the importance of transparent and open channels to ensure SME participation in any China-funded infrastructure or digital economy projects in Malaysia.
“If China is serious about helping Malaysian SMEs access the Chinese market, we urge China to facilitate SME onboarding onto cross-border digital platforms, especially those operated by Chinese tech firms, to enable local producers and service providers to tap into the vast Chinese market,” he added.
-- BERNAMA
