KUCHING: Sarawak is making a bigger push into China's business events market, bringing together ten industry partners under its first Sarawak Pavilion at the inaugural China International MICE Exchange (CIMX) 2026 in Beijing to capture new business opportunities across corporate meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions and strengthen its foothold across Asia Pacific.

The pavilion is led by Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) and runs from 3 to 5 November at the China National Convention Centre Phase II, showcasing Sarawak's diverse business events capabilities, with particular emphasis on the growing corporate meetings and incentive travel market.

According to a statement by BESarawak, by combining modern meeting and convention facilities, international-standard hospitality, immersive cultural and nature-based experiences, and professional event services, Sarawak offers Chinese organisers a distinctive destination for corporate programmes, international conventions and exhibitions.

“The participation reinforces Sarawak's positioning as the Legacy Capital of Business Events in Malaysia and Borneo, where events are designed to deliver lasting social, economic and environmental value.

“China remains one of Sarawak's key international visitor markets, supported by growing travel demand between China and Malaysia, where Tourism Malaysia reported 3.7 million Chinese visitor arrivals from January to August 2026, an increase of 13.4 per cent year-on-year.

“Coupled with visa-free entry and onward connectivity to Sarawak through Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, this growing market presents opportunities for Sarawak to expand its share of China's business events market,” it said on Wednesday.

BESarawak noted that beyond tourism, Sarawak's growing economic engagement with China presents further opportunities for business events, particularly in sectors such as renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and digital technology.

“These shared interests provide a platform for corporate meetings, industry conventions, exhibitions and knowledge exchanges that strengthen business collaboration and support Sarawak's long-term development priorities.

“Sarawak's offerings also extend to educational and technical exchanges through its Academic Mobility Programme (Sarawak AMP), introduced in 2026 as the first to facilitate study tours and technical visits for educational institutions.

“The programme complements Sarawak's wider business events offerings by creating opportunities for knowledge exchange and engagement with local industries,” it said.

In the same statement, Deputy Sarawak Secretary (Operation) and BESarawak Chairman Datu Hii Chang Kee said Sarawak's growing economic ties with China present opportunities to advance the destination's development priorities through international business events.

“China is an important economic partner for Sarawak, with strengths in renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and digital technology that complement our ambitions under the Post-COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.

“Business events provide a platform to build on these economic relationships by connecting industries, expertise and opportunities for collaboration.

“Our ambition goes beyond attracting international events. We want to ensure they contribute to stronger industries, greater innovation and long-term economic benefits for Sarawak,” he said.

The Sarawak delegation also paid a courtesy visit to Tourism Malaysia's Beijing office to strengthen cooperation in market development, explore opportunities for joint promotion and enhance Sarawak's visibility among Chinese business events buyers.

Meanwhile, BESarawak Chief Executive Officer Jason Tan Chin Foo said the stronger industry presence reflects Sarawak's ambition to translate growing interest from China into tangible business opportunities across different business event segments.

“Over the years, our engagements in China have generated strong interest from business event organisers in exploring Sarawak as a new destination, particularly for corporate meetings and incentive travel.

“Beyond our well-known natural and cultural attractions, interest has also centred on Sarawak's business landscape and legacy impact approach, which combines destination discovery with opportunities for cultural exchange, industry engagement and business collaboration.

“With our industry partners now coming together under one pavilion, we can offer buyers a more complete picture of Sarawak's capabilities, converting market interest into business opportunities that benefit our local industry and economy,” he said.

The Sarawak Pavilion at CIMX forms part of BESarawak's continued expansion across Asia Pacific, providing access to an expected 5,000 Chinese industry professionals. -UKASnews