“As of 2015, Selangor contributed RM240 billion or 22.6% to the national gross domestic product (GDP) with an annual growth rate of 5.7%.
“In fact, the federal Department of Statistics released the latest statistics yesterday, which show that Selangor remains the main contributor to the national GDP to the extent of 22.7% in 2016.
“This was an increase of 0.1% compared to 2015,” he said during the opening ceremony of the Selangor International Business Summit here.
Azmin added that Selangor would continue taking measures to position itself as the gateway to Asean by placing more emphasis on the aerospace, e-commerce, services and bio technology industries.
“Thus, we have set up four councils to drive our initiatives forward: the Information Technology and Commerce Council (SITEC), the Selangor Bio Council, the Halal International Selangor Council and the Selangor Aerospace Council.
“This will create a mechanism to push the industries forward and inject sustainable growth in these sectors,” he said.
Selangor state senior executive councillor for investment, industry and commerce Teng Chang Khim said in order for the state to be positioned as a global trading hub, the state government needed to unveil a slew of initiatives that includes organising an international expo and establishing the Selangor World Trade Centre.
“It is not the Selangor state government’s intention to merely become an exhibition organiser in hosting the Selangor International Business Summit,” Teng said.
He added that business entities and communities in different Asean countries could no longer work in silos if they wanted to stay competitive in a global market.
He said hosting the Selangor Asean Business Conference would be the perfect platform to begin with.
“To understand and to explore the Asean multi-lingual, multicultural and multi-religious market that covers a population of 620 million, this conference is the perfect launch pad,” he said.
The Selangor International Business Summit 2017 is a 10-day event that will be held from Sept 7-17.
It will include the Selangor Smart City & Future Commerce Convention 2017, the Selangor-Asean Business Conference and the Selangor International Expo 2017.
Report: Selangor contributed most to national economy in 2016