Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health
Business China Board Members，
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning and a warm welcome to the fourth Business China Distinguished Leaders (Closed-Door) Dialogue. It is the first time that we are adopting a hybrid meeting format for the dialogue. I am very pleased to see many familiar faces here at Raffles hotel. I would also extend my warmest welcome to everyone online.
I remember our first dialogue was held in January 2020. Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean shared his views on Singapore’s challenges and opportunities in a multi-polar world. SM Teo delved deep into the shifting global order and suggested three core principles to navigate current global challenges:
- bolstering connectivity
- sharing knowledge
- strengthening trust.
As the first COVID case reached our shores in late January 2020, life was never quite the same again. When faced with much uncertainty, we made the decision to postpone the dialogue series to later part of the year and to shift the series online.
We resumed the dialogue series with our second speaker, Minister Ong Ye Kung in October 2020. By then, if you recall, we had by and large cleared the dormitory cases and brought down total case counts to single digits. Minister Ong shared candidly on the three imperatives for Singapore moving ahead.
- a focus on health with a short and medium goal to overcome Covid-19.
- Singapore’s pursuit of economic growth under Covid-19
- how the growth could be an inclusive one for the Singapore society.
In December last year, we held our third session with Minister Chan Chun Sing. Minister answered many pertinent questions from participants pertaining to the challenges and opportunities for Singapore, strategies to strengthen Singapore’s supply chain, transformation of the travel industry and the role that Singapore could play in the COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Though our domestic COVID cases have stabilised by then, the end point of the pandemic was still unclear and hinged heavily on a variety of factors including vaccination schedules.
Today, as we gather here for our fourth dialogue, we are looking at the world from a new vantage point of time and history: Covid-19 is still raging the world especially in some of the most populous countries, America has installed Mr Joe Biden as its 46th President, Myanmar witnessed a military coup, and in the meantime, world’s leading economies, China and America, are expecting strong economic rebound. Closer to home, the issue of political leadership renewal is still fresh in our mind.
To help us make sense of this ever-changing landscape, and how Singapore can remain united, relevant and optimistic about the future, we are very privileged and honoured to have with us today, Minister Gan Kim Yong to share his view and insights with the audience here and online.
Minister Gan is someone who needs little introduction. It is probably not an exaggeration to say that he is the most seen face on news media in 2020. Prior to his current Ministry in Health, Minister Gan held portfolios in Manpower and Education. Minister is currently the anchor Minister for Chua Chu Kang GRC. He is also the Chairman of the People’s Action Party.
As an advisor to Business China’s Board, Minister Gan has been an avid supporter of Business China initiatives and programmes. Minister had graced the Future China Global forum in 2019 and kick- started our Prominent Business Leaders engagement in January 2020 as our first Guest of Honour.
Minister Gan was educated at Catholic High School and National Junior College. He later studied at the University of Cambridge on an Overseas Merit Scholarship, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Electrical Engineering. In 1985, he obtained his master’s degree from Cambridge University.
Ladies and gentlemen, please join me to warmly welcome Minister Gan Kim Yong to address us.