The Johor-Singapore SEZ will be more than an ‘industrial park with a nicer brochure,’ says the chair of the state’s investment committee

“Special matters require execution.” So quipped YB Lee Ting Han, chair of the Johor State Investment, Trade, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee, at the Fortune Innovation Forum in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

In January, Malaysia and Singapore agreed to set up a special economic zone in the Malaysian state of Johor, which borders Singapore. The hope is that the SEZ would attract high-value investments in key sectors like manufacturing, tourism, and data centers.

Both Singapore and Malaysia’s governments, as well as the state government of Johor, are now working together in a unified office to offer a single narrative for investors, expediting high-value projects and the movement of goods and people across the border.

Yet the Johor-Singapore special economic zone is not meant to b