The Business China Awards (BCA) ended on a high note on 7 June 2019 at the Roselle-Simpor Ballroom of Sands Expo and Convention Centre. Over 900 distinguished guests and stakeholders attended this biennial flagship event, which aim to honour outstanding individuals and enterprises for their contributions to Singapore-China relations as well as promoting bilingualism and biculturalism in Singapore.
Into its 9th edition, the Business China Awards is a highly regarded prestigious award. This year, the BCA judging panel is helmed by Chairman Mr Stephen Lee who led a 12-member strong panel. The panel is glad to have the addition of two members from China, senior Chinese representatives Vice Chairman of China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE) Mr Li Rongrong and Standing Committee Member of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Dr Chen Deming; who were also former Business China Excellence Award winners coming onboard as judging panelists. The strong judging panel had gone through rigorous judging process to determine the final winners out of the 55 nominations received this year. The number of nominations this year is the highest so far and is a significant increase from the past years.
Chairman of Business China Mr Lee Yi Shyan lauded the awardees on “their sterling personal and professional achievements in their respective fields” in his speech. He commended them for having “done something extra, in promoting the understanding of contemporary China, its commerce, culture and more. They facilitated two-way interactions of our people. They strengthen mutual trusts and develop lasting friendships. All these, add to the richness of a growing and multifaceted people-to-people relations between Singapore and China.”
The recipients of the Business China Awards 2019 are as follows:
- Business China Excellence Award – Mr Chua Thian Poh, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ho Bee Group and Chairman of Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre
- Business China Enterprise Award – Master in Public Administration and Management (MPAM) Programme, National University of Singapore
- Business China Young Achiever Award – Mr James Ke, Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Unihearts International Education
Business China’s Patron and Singapore Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong was the Guest-of-Honour for the Business China Awards Gala Dinner where he presented the awards to the recipients. He also held a “fireside chat” which was moderated by Business China Board Director, Head (Sustainability & Stewardship Group) of Temasek International, Mr Robin Hu. During the fireside chat, Prime Minister Lee shared his insights on various topics such as US-China relations, the Chinese economy, global economic outlook, Singapore-China relations and the next general election. The Fireside chat brought the Business China Awards dinner to the climax with an influx of questions from the audience.
The Awards Gala Dinner ended on a high note with the award recipients sharing their acceptance speeches.