China's East Hope Group plans to set up an aluminium smelting plant in Malaysia, Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) president Tan Sri William Cheng said today.

He said the company also wanted to set up its own power plant to generate electricity for the proposed plant and was now looking for a suitable site.
Cheng said East Hope Group was presently one of the largest feed producers in China, with nearly 10,000 employees and over 70 feed manufacturing plants.

He said the company's secondary business focus was heavy industries and it was currently operating two aluminium smelting plants, one in the Shandong Province and the other in Inner Mongolia, with a total output of 660,000 tonnes annually.

"They are looking to invest in Southeast Asia," he told reporters after leading a 24-member delegation to meet Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak here today.

The delegation comprised representatives from Chinese trade associations around the region, including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia who were here to look into opportunities for investment in Malaysia as well as in conjunction with ACCCIM's 60th anniversary celebrations.

Commenting on East Hope Group's intention to build an aluminium smelting plant, Najib said that those keen in such projects should discuss with the Sarawak state government.

He said this was because only Sarawak has the potential for power generation facilities needed by the aluminium smelting plants.