MEDIA RELEASE: Business China and Pioneer JC jointly organised “China-Quotient Student Forum 2012”

China-Quotient Student Forum 2012: Grooming a Generation of Bicultural Singaporeans
– Students given practical tips to become better attuned to contemporary China as economic centre of gravity shifts to the East

SINGAPORE – For the eighth time running since Business China launched the China-Quotient Student Forum in 2010, the Forum has been receiving overwhelming support and response from secondary and tertiary institutions. Themed “Grooming a Generation of Bicultural Singaporeans”, the first forum this year was jointly organised with Pioneer Junior College (PJC).

The China-Quotient Student Forum is a key initiative of Business China to groom bilingual and bicultural Singaporean youths. It aims to upkeep the bilingual and bicultural quotient of the future leaders of tomorrow. Through the Forum, Business China hopes to motivate youths who are interested in contemporary China, to keep pace with its rapid developments.

Guest-of-Honour Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office and Secretary-General, National Trades Union Congress, was welcomed by some 1,000 students from various secondary schools and junior colleges at PJC this morning.

During his keynote presentation, Minister Lim highlighted that the global economic centre of gravity was shifting to the East, and students in Singapore ought to be well-attuned to the development of not only the advanced economies, but also the Asian economies, in order to successfully navigate their pathway in the 21st century.

Minister Lim also defined the attributes of a “bicultural Singaporean” in the presentation, which was done in an engaging way. Bite-size information accompanied with illustrative images were used to enthuse the youths’ interest in China-related issues as well as to capture their attention.

Minister Lim then joined two other plenary speakers in sharing candid and practical tips to capitalise the strategic location, multilingual and multicultural populace of Singapore, to manoeuvre between the East and West.

One of the speakers was Ms Han Yong Hong, Beijing Chief Correspondent of Lianhe Zaobao. Ms Han was one of the first foreign reporters to enter the epi-centre, Yingxiu Town, after the Sichuan earthquake in 2008. She had been working in China for seven years, and was also awarded the Business China Young Achiever Award in 2011. The other speaker was Mr Lim Der Shing, CEO of JobsCentral Pte Ltd. Mr Lim founded Jobsfactory, the predecessor of JobsCentral.com.sg job portal. He won the Spirit of Enterprise Award in 2007.

The students were also exposed to a range of topical issues in China during the second panel discussion. The speakers for the session were Mr Shaun Phua Swan Hwee, General Manager of Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall and Mdm Dilys Yong Mee Hiong, President of New Global Resources Pte Ltd. The Chairperson was Dr Chua Chee Lay, CEO of CL Lab.

Mr Sam Tan Chin Siong, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and Mr Chua Thian Poh, Chairman of BusinessChina also attended the Forum, which was conducted in both English and Mandarin.
Principal of PJC, Mrs Tan- Kek Lee Yong said: “With a rich and fascinating history, unique cultural and philosophical traditions and its meteoric rise of a giant economic power, the importance of understanding modern China has never been greater. An understanding and appreciation of the Chinese language, culture and society will help you to acquire new skills and develop new interests that may be of considerable value to you in your future career and enable you to be more competitive in the global market.”

CEO of Business China, Ms Low Yen Ling also commented: “I am heartened by the students’ growing interest in China as shown by the overwhelming participation, including the non-Chinese students. This is the largest scale China-Quotient Student Forum organised since the inception of Business China. As we nurture new generation of bicultural youths, they will form the nexus of China-savvy communities, linking Singapore into the heart of contemporary China, its culture, language, and activities. In conjunction with Business China’s fifth anniversary, we will continue to roll out more interactive and thought-provoking programmes to expand the youths’ horizon. Through these, we hope to nurture more bilingual and bi-cultural talent as well as‘China-savvy’ Singaporean youths.”

China-Quotient Student Forum 2012: Grooming a Generation of Bicultural Singaporeans

Date    :   31 March 2012 (Saturday)
Time   :   9am to 12.30pm
Venue :   PJC campus

For more information, please contact:-
Eunice (Ms)
Senior Associate (Corporate Communications & Go East)
Business China
Email: eunice@businesschina.org.sg
Tel: (65) 6213 0413

About Business China

Business China was launched in November 2007 by our Patron, then Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. We are a platform integrating language, economic and cultural elements. Our mission is to nurture an inclusive bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans through extensive use of the Chinese language as the medium of communication, so as to sustain our multicultural heritage, and to develop a cultural and economic bridge linking the world and China.

For more information, visit www.businesschina.org.sg/en.

About C-Quotient Student Forum

This is a half-day forum targeted at pre-university and tertiary students who are interested in China affairs. An initiative of Business China, the Forum aims to motivate them to upkeep their proficiency in the Chinese language, deepen their understanding of Chinese culture, and keep pace with contemporary developments in China.

The Forum for 500 participants or more will feature outstanding speakers from areas such as technology, lifestyle, popular culture, volunteerism and social entrepreneurship,which interest the youths. Through these student forums, Business China hopes to encourage as well as better prepare our youths to engage China, whether at work or play.

About Pioneer Junior College

Established in 2000, Pioneer Junior College (PJC) aims to nurture a community of committed learners and compassionate leaders through its vision of ‘Always Serving, Always Learning’. Committed to providing quality education through its twin pillars of education; Academic Excellence and Character Development, PJC has attained the School Distinction Award in 2010, as well as two Sustained Achievement Awards for Academic Value-Added and Aesthetics from 2009 to 2010. The achievements are testament to PJC’s belief that every student deserves an all-rounded education.

For more information, visit www.pioneerjc.moe.edu.sg.