SUNGAI BULOH: Malaysia's earthquake resistant rubber technology for the construction sector will be highlighted during a ministerial mission to China next year.

Deputy prime minister and Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the technology was among the products under his portfolio he would introduce to China.

This comes after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday said Malaysia and China have agreed to enhance cooperation through commodities and agricultural-based industries.

Fadillah said he would personally plan the mission following Anwar's invitation for Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang for an official visit to Malaysia to mark the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations in 2024.

"We will look into what fields we can venture into and expand our cooperation. It will include the construction sector where we can explore products that ensure buildings can resist quake shocks.

"This product is very renowned. It will include the products that we have created and are used in the United Kingdom and other countries as a result of our research and development efforts," he said after launching the Malaysian Rubber Board Technology Day at Akademi Hevea Malaysia here, today.

Present was board director-general Datuk Dr Zairossani Mohd Nor.

Fadillah said a collaboration between the board and the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC) had produced seismic rubber-bearing products.

"It was designed to tackle structural movement due to temperature changes or installed on building structures as protection against shaking due to earthquakes.

"Among the structures in Malaysia which use the seismic rubber-bearing products are the Second Penang Bridge, the Akademi Hevea Malaysia Langkawi building and the Malaysia Palm Oil Board in Lahad Datu, Sabah which are produced by a local rubber manufacturing company," he added.

The collaboration also produced NaturalFR where its compounds used in rubber products became fireproof and have low smoke and low toxicity.

"The compound was also used to make fireproof products at the entrances of several train stations in the United Kingdom," said Fadillah.

The ministry, he added, would monitor the R&D closely to ensure that it fulfilled the needs and wants of the nation's rubber industry.

Fadillah said that the government did not want R&D projects that were inapplicable due to the absence of external factors or because they did not meet the needs of the upstream and downstream industries.

"R&D projects require high funding apart from specialised research expertise. Therefore such investment must be utilised to its best as it involves government money.

"I want to stress that R&D projects that are demand driven need to be prioritised to uphold the country's rubber industry," he added.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/09/957103/fadillah-malaysia-promote-earthquake-resistant-rubber-technology-china

Sumber : New Straits Times