He said the move was informed by lessons drawn from the successful development of the Suzhou industrial park in China, following discussions there during a working visit to the city.

Abang Johari said Sarawak is now moving towards a modern economy and that the approach to developing future industrial areas must be aligned with the requirements of a new economic era. Future industrial development in Sarawak would be anchored on low-carbon and high-technology principles, with the state’s gas resources utilised to support low-carbon industries by serving as a cleaner energy source.

He said that upon his return to Sarawak, he would call a special meeting to further deliberate on the proposed development strategy, a Sarawak government statement said.

Abang Johari’s discussions in Suzhou included a potential collaboration between the city and a proposed industrial area in Sarawak, to be developed with China Jiangsu International Economic Technology Cooperation Group Ltd as a partner.

He said the Suzhou industrial park, which began as a joint initiative between Singapore and China, has grown over the past 30 years into a modern fully developed city.

He said the Tanjung Embang area, in Samarahan division, has been identified as a potential hub to attract advanced technologies, particularly in the area of artificial intelligence (AI), supported by enhanced infrastructure and the resources available in the state.

Sarawak is now planning its industrial park development to serve the Asean market of around 800 million people, about the same size of China’s population when Suzhou was first developed, he said.