DALIAN, May 7 — The Sabah-Dalian Trade Cooperation Mission marked a significant milestone in strategic cooperation between Sabah and China with the signing of two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and three letters of intent (LOIs) involving the education, technology, maritime and blue economy sectors.

The exchange of documents was witnessed by Sabah Deputy Chief Minister III and Minister of Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport Ewon Benedick together with representatives of the Dalian government during the Dalian-Sabah Trade and Investment Sharing Session: Interactive Dialogue on the Blue Economy Sector held here on Monday.

Among the agreements signed was an MoU between Dalian Maritime University and Universiti Malaysia Sabah aimed at strengthening academic and maritime cooperation.

Another MoU involved collaboration between Jetama and Dalian Bowen Software Technology Co. Ltd. on drinking water conversion technology for functional water applications.

The three LOIs included a friendship and cooperation initiative between the Dalian Municipal Federation of Industry and Commerce and the Sekretariat Sabah Maju Jaya, a collaboration between Dalian Ocean University and Sabah Maju Jaya, as well as cooperation between the Beijing Open University International Curriculum Center and Sabah’s Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation.

Speaking at the event, Ewon said the MoUs and LOIs reflected the strong friendship between Malaysia and China while opening broader opportunities for economic cooperation between Sabah and Dalian in trade, investment, industry and the blue economy.

He said Sabah is strategically positioned to strengthen trade ties and attract high-value investments, particularly in the blue economy sector.

“Sabah is strengthening its position as a regional hub for maritime trade, logistics, industrial development and blue economy investments,” he said.

Ewon noted that Dalian is widely recognised as a maritime, logistics and industrial hub with strengths in port development, marine technology, shipbuilding and coastal industrial development.

He added that Sabah is currently focusing on 15 key industries under its blue economy framework, including aquaculture, maritime logistics, marine biotechnology, ocean energy technology and ocean monitoring.

Among Sabah’s ongoing flagship projects are the Kudat Blue Economy Industrial Park, a desalination project at POIC Lahad Datu and the development of floating solar facilities at Babagon Dam.

“Sabah welcomes strategic collaboration with partners from China, especially Dalian, in technology transfer, knowledge sharing, capacity building and joint ventures in high-impact sectors,” he said.

Ewon also invited the Dalian government and Chinese companies to explore investment opportunities and strategic partnerships in Sabah.

In a related development, he revealed that Sabah recorded RM7.6 billion in manufacturing sector investments in 2025, representing a 208 per cent increase compared to RM2.47 billion in the previous year.

Of the total investment figure, RM6.6 billion came from foreign direct investment (FDI), while RM1 billion was contributed through domestic investment, he said.