Malaysia aims to strengthen its foothold in China by capitalising on Malaysian capabilities in the services sector, particularly through the promotion of franchise industry.

In a statement today, the Malaysia External Trade Development Corp (Matrade) said, in this regard, it will organise an export acceleration mission on the franchise industry from July 9-11, 2016 at the China National Convention Centre in Beijing, China.

Matrade said the mission will be in conjunction with the 16th China (Beijing) Franchise Expo (CFE), which aimed to strengthen Malaysia's foothold in China by capitalising on Malaysian capabilities in the services sector.

"Malaysia's participation in the exhibition is aimed at providing a platform for local players to strengthen their networks and promote Malaysian franchise brands.

"Matrade will also be coordinating one-on-one business meetings for the Malaysian exhibitors with Chinese buyers and potential partners from other countries at the event," it said.

Matrade said the mission will showcase Malaysian franchise brands – Coffeeland, Teh Tarik Place, Nyonyasuan, Daily Fresh, Brainchecker, Craft and Meiko.

"The meetings will be organised in collaboration with FranChina LLC, the leading franchise association in China.

"Among the franchisors attending are from the Americas, Europe and Asia.

"The event attracts over 300,000 attendees comprising investors looking for franchising opportunities," it said.

It said opportunities in China’s franchising market were not only limited to the restaurant industry but also in catering sector, education and training, real estate brokerage, commercial service as well as network technology.

Malaysia’s exports of services recorded a growth of 6.68 per cent to RM7.97 billion in 2015 while imports from China were valued at RM12.08 billion.

Matrade said although China's economic growth was expected to be at a slower pace (about 6.5 percent annually), it still provided ample business opportunities for Malaysian players.