An in-person briefing for the APEC Invitational Competition of the China (Shenzhen) Innovation & Entrepreneurship International Competition was held at Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) in Malaysia in late August 2026.
Speaking from the podium, Lee Jin Xian, president of the Malaysia-Shamchun Chamber of Commerce (MSCC), described how generations of Chinese migrants had crossed the seas and overcome hardship to build businesses in Malaysia, while forging close people-to-people links between the country and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In the audience, young students from diverse ethnic backgrounds listened intently.
Lee Jin Xian, president of the Malaysia-Shamchun Chamber of Commerce (MSCC). (Photo provided to Nanfang Plus)
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a regional economic forum established in 1989. Cooperation has brought economic prosperity to the Asia-Pacific, with overseas Chinese entrepreneurs playing an important role in, and witnessing, the region's transformation.
"Governments focus on differences among major economies, while overseas Chinese break the ice through people-to-people exchanges. With the tide turning against globalization, nothing is in shorter supply than trust. The networks of trust that Chinese entrepreneurs have built over centuries are the best way to keep cooperation running smoothly," Lee said.
Overseas Chinese entrepreneurs share a deep emotional bond with China. Ali Johnsen, a Chinese Indonesian entrepreneur nearing 70 who heads the Chinese-language daily Xun Bao, still remembers his first visit to China in 1970. Back then, there were yellow dirt roads everywhere, and the bus he took in Shenzhen had a wooden body.
Ali Johnsen, a Chinese Indonesian entrepreneur who heads the Chinese-language daily Xun Bao. (Photo provided to Nanfang Plus)
Sugeng Prananto, chairman of the Indonesian Hakka Association, also remembers the challenges and shares this sentiment: "When Indonesian companies first began trading with China, the obstacles were considerable: information was hard to obtain, policies were unfamiliar and exchange rates fluctuated sharply."
Yet many Chinese entrepreneurs, drawn by their affection for their ancestral homeland, led the way, bringing capital and technology to China to invest and start businesses.
Sugeng Prananto (left), chairman of the Indonesian Hakka Association. (Photo provided to Nanfang Plus)
Their understanding of both China and their countries of residence gives overseas Chinese entrepreneurs a distinctive advantage in facilitating policy dialogue and forging business partnerships. Sugeng Prananto's grandfather had sailed south from Meixian in Guangdong and put down roots overseas, earning a modest living as a street vendor. Under Sugeng Prananto's leadership, the family business expanded into finance, real estate, shipping and mining. For him, the defining strength of being an overseas Chinese entrepreneur is "understanding both sides."
"Our advantage is knowing each side's concerns and where their bottom lines lie," he said.
Jakarta's Chinatown is the largest and oldest Chinatown in Indonesia. (Photo: Xinhua)
Lee, whose ancestral roots are in Shenzhen, is one such business matchmaker. In 2018, he founded the MSCC in Kuala Lumpur. For the past eight years, its work has centered on one goal: helping Shenzhen companies combine "China speed" with regulatory compliance in Malaysia.
"When private companies expand overseas, 90 percent of failures are caused not by a lack of orders, but by non-compliance," Lee said. "Those of us with roots in Shenzhen who live overseas have a clear advantage: we understand both sides. We can act as local partners for these companies, supporting them like family with site selection, financing and legal services."
The chamber facilitated the signing of eight agreements worth more than 2 billion yuan (US$300 million) between partners in Shenzhen and Malaysia in July this year.
Petaling Street, a Chinese neighbourhood in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo: Nanfang Plus)
The connectivity promoted by APEC goes beyond infrastructure and regulatory coordination. It is also about people-to-people exchanges and mutual understanding. Ali Johnsen founded Xun Bao, while Sugeng Prananto led efforts to establish the Indonesian Hakka Museum and helped fund trilingual schools.
An APEC-themed flower bed outside Lianhuashan Park in Shenzhen. (Photo: Zhu Hongbo)
"We need to create opportunities for the younger generation to learn and experience things for themselves. They are the future of the Asia-Pacific, our shared home. They need to put down roots locally while looking toward China and the wider Asia-Pacific, serving as bridges across the region and opening up ever more opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation," Sugeng Prananto said.
Reporters | Zhang Yin, Yang Qiong, Peng Yifei
Photos | Zheng Xinqia, Zhang Ziwang, unless otherwise credited
