The evening of 19 September 2025 saw the staging of the 12th edition of the Business China Awards (BCA), co-presented with OCBC. The Awards honour outstanding individuals and organisations who exemplify exceptional vision, leadership, and success in advancing sustained growth in Singapore-China relations across business, economic, social, and/or cultural domains.
Ms. Liu Chang, Chairwoman of New Hope (Liuhe), received the Young Achiever Award 2025 for establishing New Hope’s regional base in Singapore, aligning internationalisation strategies with the city-state’s strengths, championing youth engagement, and leading cross-border philanthropic initiatives. Beyond business, Ms. Liu has positioned Singapore as a vital platform for Chinese enterprises to “go global” and actively champions youth engagement in bilateral cooperation through school-enterprise partnerships that foster shared growth.
The China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity (CCI), winner of the Business China Enterprise Award 2025, is the third flagship government-to-government project between Singapore and China, launched in November 2015 under the witness of then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Xi Jinping. Over the past decade, the CCI has expanded cooperation across multiple sectors, pioneering cross-border financing for internationalising enterprises, developing the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. The initiative has also laid a digital foundation for smart city and digital economy collaboration, while driving new partnerships in innovation, healthcare, and education. These achievements have deepened bilateral cooperation, injecting fresh momentum into the Belt and Road Initiative.
This year’s Business China Excellence Award honours Mr. Chin Siat-Yoon, Singapore’s longest-serving Ambassador to China from 1998 to 2012. Over his fourteen-year tenure, he was instrumental in establishing the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), the apex platform for bilateral collaboration, and in guiding the Suzhou Industrial Park through its early challenges to become Singapore’s first flagship government-to-government project with China. He was instrumental in advancing the landmark China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, the first comprehensive FTA between China and an Asian nation, and the launch of the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, a model for sustainable urban development. These landmark achievements continue to anchor bilateral ties today, reflecting Mr. Chin’s vision, leadership, and enduring contributions.