Sarawak and the Republic of Korea can benefit from cooperating together as both have their own strengths which can help each other grow further, says Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.

Speaking at the Republic of Korea-Sarawak Business Dialogue 2019 here, he said that Korea, being the fourth largest Asian economy, had strength in aspects such as research, good industrial policies and product development.

"On the other hand, Sarawak has an abundance of natural resources and we also offer the lowest electricity tariff among the region," he said.

The event also saw the exchange of contract documents for the Sarawak Methanol Project between Sarawak Petchem Sdn Bhd and Samsung Engineering Co Ltd.

Abang Johari added that Sarawak welcomes proposals from companies with the technological expertise to build data centres in Sarawak, as the state is investing heavily in digital and telecommunication facilities such as transmission towers and fibre optics lines.

"We always welcome private investments with the right technology and capital, and Sarawak is indeed the right place for investors," he stated.

Abang Johari also noted that in 2018 alone, Sarawak received investments totalling US$2.2 billion.

"Sarawak would definitely like to tap into Korea's expertise and forge closer collaborations in digital technology advancement, which would help the state propel into a modern state status," he added. Also present at the event were Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani and business communities from the Republic of Korea.