Kuala Lumpur Meets a Chongqing Beyond Hotpot--Open, Innovative and Ready for Business

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Aug. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from iChongqing:

A global promotional event for the "China, An Opportunity: Chongqing Brands" campaign was held in Malaysia on the afternoon of July 30, showcasing Chongqing's development achievements and opportunities arising from its continued opening-up.

The event brought together nearly 200 Chinese and Malaysian guests from trade, education, culture, automotive manufacturing and legal services to deepen Chongqing-Malaysia cooperation and expand engagement with ASEAN Xinhua News Agency, Sin Chew Daily, Together Media and other outlets covered the event.

Since its launch in May 2024, the "China, An Opportunity: Chongqing Brands" campaign has promoted 11 city brands, including "Made in Chongqing," "Invest in Chongqing," "Study in Chongqing," "Taste of Chongqing" and "Chongqing Trade with the World," through events in Rome, Lima, São Paulo, Singapore and Cairo.

As a major stop in 2026, the Kuala Lumpur event presented Chongqing's city image, industrial strengths and cooperation opportunities to audiences in Malaysia and across ASEAN, while providing a platform for further exchanges.

What makes Chongqing "STAND" out?

The event opened with Chongqing's global promotional video, taking guests on a virtual tour of the city and highlighting its openness, industrial development and cooperation potential.

Sang Jian, Deputy General Manager of the Western China International Communication Organization Co., Ltd., introduced Chongqing through "STAND": Specialness, a Trade-friendly environment, Advanced Industries, Nature, and Dream and Digit.

The five keywords outlined Chongqing's main features and linked the following presentations on tourism, trade, education and cultural exchanges.

Highlighting its mountains, rivers, Bayu culture, the Yangtze River's Three Gorges and the South China Karst, Chongqing promoted itself as an international cultural tourism destination, while showcasing its global transport links, convenient entry policies and visitor services to attract more Malaysian travelers. The event also presented how the city's trade-friendly environment and digital development can support businesses.

Zhou Dan, Managing Director of CICET (Malaysia) Corporation, introduced the Malaysia center of the Yumaotong overseas comprehensive service platform.

Based in Malaysia and serving Southeast Asia, the platform combines product displays, business negotiations, resource matching and digital services. More than 160 companies have joined the platform, which has also established partnerships with local logistics and financial institutions. It provides Chongqing companies with one-stop services covering brand promotion, logistics, warehousing and business matching.

Chongqing's "dream" came to life through Yang Ying, a Malaysian student at Southwest University, who described the city as open, inclusive and welcoming.

She said her year in Chongqing had enabled her to gain professional knowledge, experience Chinese culture and make friends from around the world, and she hoped her story would encourage greater understanding and exchanges between young people in Malaysia and China.

Advanced industries also depend on skilled talent. Yang Jiqiong, Vice President of Chongqing Vocational College of Information Technology, said the college has partnered with the University of Technology Malaysia and other Malaysian institutions, while working with universities and medical organizations to establish an international health sciences college. 

By drawing on Malaysia's location and educational resources, the college aims to train professionals for the local market and support Chinese companies expanding overseas.

From Chongqing hotpot to business opportunities

A companion "China, An Opportunity: Chongqing Brands" photo exhibition brought 11 facets of Chongqing to Kuala Lumpur, from the Three Gorges, its "8D" cityscape and food culture to industrial growth and expanding international connections, inviting guests to explore the city and exchange views.

For Chan Chee Seng, a professor at the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology at the University of Malaya, the most direct change was that Chongqing no longer carried only one label: spicy hotpot.

"Today's event gave me a new understanding of the city," he said, adding that Chongqing's urban vitality and the featured exhibits left a strong impression.

Chan said the strong cultural ties between China and Malaysia offer broad opportunities in business, tourism and culture. The event strengthened his interest in visiting Chongqing to experience its scenery and cuisine, explore industrial partnerships, and see more Chongqing brands enter the Malaysian market.

Chen Jingye, Marketing Executive of CICET (Malaysia) Corporation, said the event did more than showcase products. It also gave China and Malaysia more opportunities to understand each other.

Chinese companies could gain a better understanding of the Malaysian market and local culture, while Malaysian businesses and young people could learn more directly about China, laying a foundation for future exchanges and cooperation.

SOURCE iChongqing