JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor state government is mooting the establishment of the ASEAN industrial park within the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafis Ghazi said.
He said the industrial park is envisioned to be especially geared towards the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
“It will aim to attract strategic investments from RCEP member countries by focusing on high-value sectors such as advanced manufacturing, green technology and the digital economy,” he said in his welcoming remarks at the JS-SEZ Joint Business and Investment Forum here today.
He said the industrial park will drive technology transfer, boost competitiveness and diversify supply chains across ASEAN.
“We also hope that it will offer customised incentives such as tax breaks, simplified talent mobility and temporary relaxation of fund repatriation rules to make the industrial park attractive to foreign investors,” he said.
The aim is to stimulate economic growth and job creation in the JS-SEZ and promote the region as a preferred destination for RCEP-related investment, he said.
Onn Hafiz said JS-SEZ has spurred Johor investments. New approved investments reached RM27.4 billion in the first quarter of this year compared with RM48.5 billion in 2024.
“(This is) a powerful early signal of the momentum behind JS-SEZ. In fact, for April 2025, there is another RM23 billion worth of projects in the pipeline,” he said.
The Johor government has worked tirelessly to create a welcoming environment that is also efficient, transparent and reliable.
“We have streamlined our investment processes via the Invest Malaysia Facilitation Centre-Johor (IMFC-J). With the Johor super lane (JSL), we have introduced a fast-track mechanism that significantly reduces bureaucratic delays for priority investments,” he said.
Since its launch in February this year, the IMFC-J has handled 252 investment enquiries with 42 high-impact projects now under accelerated processing, he said.
“What took 24 months from briefing to operations is achievable in just 13 to 14 months, a time-saving of almost 10 months. This is not just about efficiency. It is a clear signal to investors: Johor is serious, responsive and ready,” he said.
Themed “JS-SEZ: Bridging Economies, Strengthening Supply Chains”, the forum is organised by the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry in collaboration with Singapore’s Trade and Industry Ministry and the Johor state government.
With about 1,000 registered participants, the forum brings together policymakers, business leaders, government-linked companies, institutional investors and industry representatives, making it one of the largest platforms for economic cooperation between Malaysia and Singapore.
