Premier officiates ASEAN Sarawak biz forum, charts vision beyond 2030
- BT
- 6 minutes ago
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KUCHING, 12 February 2026 – Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg this morning officiated the ASEAN Sarawak Business & Economic Forum 2026, which marks a pivotal moment for regional economic cooperation as ASEAN navigates an increasingly fragmented global landscape.
The forum, held at Hilton Kuching under the theme “From Strategy to Scale: Competing in a Fragmented Global Economy,” brings together policymakers, investors, and business leaders from across Southeast Asia and beyond for a day of strategic dialogue on the region’s economic future.
In his officiating address at this morning’s opening ceremony, the Premier emphasised that Sarawak is transitioning decisively from planning to execution.
“We are meeting at a time when the global economy is more fragmented, more constrained, and less predictable than it has been in decades. In this environment, ambition on its own is not enough. Competitiveness is defined by delivery and discipline, by the ability to execute when conditions are not ideal,” he said.
A key highlight of the Premier's address was his vision for Sarawak beyond 2030, built on four crucial sectors, namely renewable energy, semiconductor, human capital development, and aerospace technology. In renewable energy, the Premier spoke of significant infrastructure expansion, with Sarawak building gas turbines in Bintulu and Miri that will bring total capacity to 10 gigawatts by 2030.
“We are now already supplying power to West Kalimantan for the past four years. Two months ago, we started supplying 100 megawatts of power to Sabah, and by the end of the year we will be supplying power to Brunei,” he said, adding “While people are talking about ASEAN grid, Sarawak has already done it on our own.”
In semiconductor, the Premier reiterated that Sarawak is developing AI-powered semiconductor chips using gallium nitride at a research lab in Cardiff, UK, emphasising that Sarawak wants to be the creator rather than user of chips. As for human capital development, he mentioned on free tertiary education for Sarawakians across 64 programmes, while in aerospace technology, he spoke of CubeSat nano-satellite technology for data storage, emphasising the critical role of Sarawak-designed chips in satellite systems.
The Premier also revealed his proposal to establish the Borneo Economic Community (BEC) with Indonesia. “Two weeks ago at the Indonesian Economic Summit, I suggested that with Borneo being the third largest island in the world and sitting in central ASEAN, Sarawak and the Indonesian Business Council can work together to establish the Borneo Economic Community,” he said, adding that the collaboration would see Borneo rising to become the nerve of ASEAN.
In his keynote, the Premier stressed the urgency of the period from 2026 to 2030. Decisions taken now on energy systems, industrial capacity, fiscal discipline, and institutional coordination will shape Sarawak’s competitiveness well beyond this decade, he stated.
In concluding, he said: “For investors and businesses, the signal is straightforward. We offer fiscal credibility, and the government is ready to make decisions under constraint. This is the basis on which Sarawak intends to compete in a more divided global economy.”
Following the keynote address, the Premier presented Excellence Awards recognising outstanding contributions to ASEAN economic development and business innovation.
The forum continued throughout the day with four plenary sessions addressing critical economic challenges. The morning session focused on Green Transformation, examining how Sarawak can position itself as ASEAN’s regional energy hub and battery, including practical requirements for scaling clean power and cross-border electricity trade.
After lunch, delegates engaged in sessions on Business Leadership in AI, Green, and Digital Transformation, exploring how the private sector deploys these technologies under real-world constraints of capital, regulation, and talent.
Afternoon sessions addressed Capital Scarcity and Development Finance, examining how governments and private sector can prioritise bankable projects in a capital-constrained environment, followed by Agricultural Modernisation, Commodities, and Food Security, treating agriculture as a productivity and competitiveness issue. A special session featuring addresses from government and industry leaders precedes the forum's conclusion.
The ASEAN Sarawak Business & Economic Forum 2026 is organised by KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific, ASEAN Economic Club, and ASEAN Business Club, with YAST Group as Strategic Partner and Rimbunan Hijau as Corporate Partner.
