MIRI: The Kenyalang Smart City (KSC) will be the basis for the future that Sarawak wants to form as a developed and high-income region in Malaysia.

Sarawak Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg said this can be seen in the planning and development of KSC where various elements will be brought together including a high-class university from China as well as its own convention centre.

He explained that KSC's sustainable development model, its green architectural design, the integration of clean energy clusters and innovation parks, the inclusion of educational and medical facilities, and its focus on the community are defining the future of a city.

"Therefore, I believe that developing a city in the way KSC is being planned is a good sign for the economic transformation that the northern part of Sarawak will undergo between now and 2050," he said.

He said this in his text of speech read by the Deputy Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Amar Professor Dr Sim Kui Hian at the KSC Summit in Miri on Wednesday.

Datuk Patinggi Abang Zohari added that the delivery of KSC requires the cooperation of many parties, especially the city council and the private sector.

"I sincerely hope that with the close cooperation from various parties, KSC can be realised in the time and manner planned," he explained.

It is understood that the KSC project - the brainchild of Sarawak-born architect Teo Ah King which covers an area of 543 acres north of Miri - aims to redefine urban life and economic growth in the region with the project having an expected Gross Development Value (GDV) of RM5 billion.

During the event, Datuk Amar Dr Sim representing the Premier of Sarawak also witnessed the signing of seven memoranda of understanding (MOUs) between Imasa Dinasti and its strategic partners aimed at driving the development of KSC.

These partners are the Fudan Institute of Integrative Medicine, China Investment Financial Holdings, Envision Energy Group, Sinohydro Bureau 12, ESG Malaysia, GreenRE, and China Broadnet.

Also present were Sarawak Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Sarawak Minister for Transport, Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin, Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier's Department (Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring), Datuk Gerawat Gala, Sarawak Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew, Consul General of the Republic of China in Kuching, Xing Weiping, Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Kuching, Raden Sigit Witjaksono, Miri Mayor who is also Pujut Assemblyman, Adam Yii Siew Sang, and other dignitaries . -UKASnews