by David E.
KUALA LUMPUR: Oct 8, 2026 – Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei are positioned to serve as a strategic gateway for Myanmar businesses and investors seeking opportunities across ASEAN, a senior Malaysian business leader said at a high-level dialogue in Kuala Lumpur.
Datuk Dexter Lau, Executive Director of Kim Teck Cheong Consolidated Berhad and President of the Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) Sabah, made the remarks during the Myanmar–Malaysia High-Level Business Dialogue 2026, where he engaged directly with Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing.
Datuk Dexter said the three territories – collectively known as SSB – each possess distinctive industrial characteristics and market strengths, while offering complementary advantages in geographical location, resources, consumer markets and regional trade.
He noted that as economic ties within ASEAN continue to deepen, SSB could serve as an important gateway for Myanmar businesses seeking to better understand and expand into the East Malaysian market.
“Economic and trade relations between Myanmar and Malaysia should not focus solely on the major economic centres of Peninsular Malaysia, but could also be further extended to East Malaysia,” Datuk Dexter said.
He pointed to opportunities for further cooperation in consumer products, distribution, supply chains, logistics and cross-border trade, citing SSB’s strategic geographical advantages in connecting with the wider ASEAN market.
During the exchange, Datuk Dexter shared his views on relevant business opportunities and potential areas of cooperation. President Min Aung Hlaing listened attentively to his presentation, and both sides exchanged views on strengthening economic, trade and business ties between Malaysia and Myanmar.
Datuk Dexter also introduced the development and business operations of Kim Teck Cheong Consolidated Berhad, saying that as businesses from both sides gain a better understanding of each other’s market needs, there could be opportunities to explore cooperation in product distribution, supply chains, market expansion and related areas.
He described the face-to-face exchange as an opportunity not only to introduce the business environment of SSB to the Myanmar side, but also to enhance awareness among regional political and business circles of the market networks, industrial foundation and development potential of East Malaysian businesses.
“Although Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei each have different economic structures and market characteristics, they share complementary strengths in regional trade and industrial cooperation. Strengthening direct engagement between businesses in the future could help identify more practical opportunities for cooperation,” he said.
He added that beyond traditional merchandise trade, Malaysia and Myanmar could further explore areas such as investment, supply chains, distribution, logistics and industrial cooperation, while government agencies, chambers of commerce and businesses could play a role in creating more opportunities for business matching between the two countries.
Datuk Dexter was invited to take part in the exclusive closed-door dialogue session held in Kuala Lumpur, after which he was ushered to meet President Min Aung Hlaing in person.
He noted that the opportunity to engage directly with Myanmar’s national leader would not only provide greater insight into Myanmar’s areas of interest in regional economic cooperation, but would also enable Sabah and East Malaysian businesses to showcase their market strengths and development potential on a high-level international business platform.
The opportunity to directly present the regional business potential of SSB to Myanmar’s national leader at such a high-level business platform represented a rare and meaningful opportunity for Sabah businesses and the wider East Malaysian business community, he said.
