(English translation, for reference only)
Honourable Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong;
Minister Lim Swee Say, Prime Minister’s Office
Minister for National Development Khaw Boon Wan
Ministers of State, Parliamentary Secretaries
His Excellency Duan Jielong
His Excellency Stanley Loh
CEO of OCBC Bank, Mr Samuel Tsien;
Board Advisors & Board Members of Business China;
Distinguished guests, ladies & gentlemen,
Good evening!
1. We are gathered here this evening to celebrate the fourth Business China Awards ceremony and the sixth anniversary of Business China. On behalf of the Business China Board, I would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for gracing this special occasion. It gives me great pleasure to also welcome all our distinguished guests tonight.
2. The annual Business China Awards aims to honour outstanding individuals and organisations for their contributions to Singapore-China relations. Not only do these exemplary role models excel in their respective fields, they also play a significant role in strengthening Singapore-China relations. I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to this year’s recipients and wish them every success in their future endeavours. We hope that they will continue to foster strong bilateral ties between Singapore and China as their business grows and expands.
3. Business China was launched in November 2007 by our Patron, Singapore’s Founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and Former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. We are a non-profit organisation integrating language, economic and cultural elements.
4. In the past six years, Business China has developed numerous strategic programmes for Singaporeans through its key initiatives, namely Apex, FutureChina and Go East, with the aim of deepening their understanding of China as well as to nurture a pool of bilingual and bicultural talent in Singapore.
5. Since our inception, we are honoured to have received tremendous support from our Founder and Patron Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Besides gracing our key Business China events, Mr Lee also shared his invaluable insights and astute observations of China and the world, based on his political career of over 60 years.
6. As the Guest-of-Honour at the Business China Awards last year, Mr Lee Kuan Yew also emphasised that language and culture play important roles in fostering interpersonal relationships. He shared that while Singaporeans and the Chinese have similar language backgrounds, there are still significant differences in the language nuances and cultures of both countries. Besides mastering the Chinese language, it is necessary for Singaporeans to immerse in the Chinese culture by either working or studying in China in order to be truly bilingual and bicultural.
7. Our Guest-of-Honour for tonight’s Business China Awards, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has also constantly encouraged Singaporeans to leverage on our bilingual capabilities to venture abroad and broaden our horizons. Leading by example, PM Lee has made 13 official visits to China since his appointment as Deputy Prime Minister in 1990. He also recently visited the Xinjiang autonomous region in order to further deepen his understanding of China.
8. Besides gracing the Business China Awards Ceremony tonight, PM Lee was also the Guest-of-Honour at Spring Reception 2012, co-organised by Business China and the Singapore Federation Chinese Clan Associations (SFCCA), to welcome the Chinese New Year with other distinguished leaders from the Chinese community. In 2012, PM Lee was the keynote speaker at the FutureChina Global Forum, where he shared his strategic insights into China and engaged in an in-depth discussion on China’s hot button issues.
9. I would like to thank PM Lee for his continued support for Business China and on this special occasion, it is my honour to announce that PM Lee has agreed to take on the role of Business China’s new Patron. On behalf of the Business China Board of Advisors, Directors and Secretariat, I would like to express my utmost gratitude to PM Lee.
10. Our Founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, has always been committed to the promotion of bilingualism and biculturalism in Singapore, as exemplified in his strong support towards Business China when he founded the organisation as our Patron. Mr Lee’s dedication and contributions to Business China over the past 6 years has allowed many Singaporeans to benefit greatly from our programmes and initiatives. Moving forward, Mr Lee will continue to lend his support to Business China as our Founding Patron. On behalf of Business China’s Board of Advisors, Directors and Secretariat, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to Mr Lee.
11. Business China will continue to augment our suite of programmes and initiatives to fulfil our mission of promoting bilingualism and biculturalism, with the aim of developing an even stronger bridge between Singapore and China.
12. Once again, I would like to thank PM Lee for gracing tonight’s awards ceremony as well as our partner, OCBC Bank for their strong support as the joint presenter of the Business China Awards over the past three years. We look forward to OCBC Bank’s continued support in presenting this prestigious award in the next three years ahead.
13. Last but not least, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Business China’s esteemed donors, partners, Board of Advisors and Directors as well as the Secretariat for their unwavering support. As a result of your contributions, Business China has been able to fulfil its mission as the leading bilingual and bicultural channel.
14. We look forward to everyone’s continued support towards Business China, with the aim of propelling Singapore to greater heights!
15. Thank you!