One of WA Chinese Chamber of Commerce’s mission is to promote international trade and dialogue. In the past, we regularly launch international trade missions, and we also receive frequent visits from overseas associations. These activities grind to a halt over the past 18 months due to COVID related international travel restrictions. It is unlikely that we will resume normal international travel for some time.
In order to foster and develop relationship with international groups during this difficult period, our Chamber has launched a program to connect with our international counterparts through video conference. The first such conference, held on June 16, was with the Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developers’ Association (SHEDA). A SHEDA delegation visited our Chamber in late 2017. We planned a reciprocal visit, but had to postpone due to COVID.
During the conference, we reviewed how COVID has impacted on our respective organisations and on our daily lives. Malaysia was in the middle of a 4 week lockdown at the time of the call. Daily reported new cases exceeded 5,000 and total recorded cases were over 650,000 since the start of the pandemic. SHEDA had to cancel or postpone larger events and overseas trips. They are now moving towards digitally showcasing their housing projects to perspective clients.
Conference attendees agreed to maintain contact, and to schedule another video conference in a few months’ time. The video conference was held in the WACCC Boardroom with AV equipment and support supplied by 3 Monkeys Audio Visual.
