On 14 June 2019, Business China CEO and Member of Parliament Ms Tin Pei Ling was invited by Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Civil Service College (CSC) to officiate the Closing Dialogue for the inaugural Senior Chongqing Officials Study Visit to Singapore. 25 senior officials from the Chongqing Municipal Government visited Singapore for the two-week programme to understand various aspects of Singapore’s governance and development experience.
During her opening remarks to the delegates, Ms Tin introduced Business China and underscored the role of the organisation in promoting a greater understanding of China, encouraging young Singaporeans to leverage on China’s economic opportunities, and promoting Singapore-China relations. She also shared her experience and thoughts as the youngest elected female Member of Parliament (MP) in Singapore.
The audience participated actively in the dialogue session and asked questions on a wide variety of topics, ranging from Singapore’s governance model, public healthcare system, challenges of an aging population and possible collaboration opportunities between Singapore and Chongqing. Ms Tin affirmed the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity’s (CCI) role as a platform for Singapore companies to venture into the Western China market, and encouraged the officials to facilitate Chinese companies investing and doing business in Southeast Asia through Singapore, which is the regional nexus for business and financial services.
After the dialogue session, Ms Tin presented certificates to the 25 Chongqing officials participating in the study visit and welcomed them to visit Singapore again in the future.