SINGAPORE, 7 OCTOBER 2022 – Business China held the thirteenth edition of the FutureChina Global Forum (FCGF) today to share key experiences and analyses of new trends and forces driving China’s continued evolution to become one of the world’s largest economies. The event brought together over 30 speakers from around the world, including top business leaders, policy decision-makers, and experts, to exchange ideas and perspectives on the growing relationship between China and Singapore.
Themed “Stability amidst Turbulence”, FCGF 2022 aimed to equip business leaders with a better understanding of the latest developments in China and the region. Amidst the turbulent world order today, the speakers led conversations around geopolitical and global economic stability, sustainability, supply chains, and technological advancements.
The FCGF 2022 took place at Marina Bay Sands on 7 October 2022, with Guest of Honour Mr Lawrence Wong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Singapore, who delivered the opening speech at the event. Mr Teo Chee Hean, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister of National Security, Singapore, will be the Guest of Honour for the FCGF Gala Dinner taking place on the evening of 7 October 2022. SM Teo will lead a fireside chat about the macro issues arising from the current geopolitical and global economic situation.
Dr Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment of Singapore & Ministry of Manpower, Business China Board Director; and Chairman of FutureChina Committee said, “As economies and businesses embrace the challenges of an uncertain and volatile world, it is important that they equip themselves with the right skills and knowledge of the region to not only navigate these uncertainties but to capture the new opportunities that may arise. Every year, the FCGF facilitated in-depth discussions around the trends, potential opportunities, and lessons from China and ASEAN. I hope delegates will find the forum insightful in appreciating the importance of strengthening the ASEAN-China partnership in driving innovation and collaboration in new growth areas, such as technological advancement and sustainability initiatives.”
PREPARING BUSINESS LEADERS AND YOUTHS FOR GLOBAL TURBULENCE
The FCGF 2022 was anchored by the topics of stabilising and enabling economies amidst geopolitical turbulence, building resilient supply chains, navigating the global tech competition in areas such as the metaverse and Artificial Intelligence, as well as green innovation. Leaders in both the public and private sectors, including thought leaders such as Mr Randall Kroszner, Professor of Economics, Chicago Booth School of Business, Professor Jin Keyu, Associate Professor of Economics, London School of Economics and Political Science, Mr Eric Xun Li, Founder and Managing Partner, Chengwei Capital and Mr Bilahari Kausikan, Chairman of Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore, shared their insights on the opportunities and challenges of the emerging geopolitical landscape and how organisations can navigate these unchartered waters.
Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Chairman of Business China, said: “As we step out of the shadow of COVID-19, the global economic landscape is clouded and heralds challenging times. Through the various panel discussions and breakout sessions, FCGF aims to understand and analyse today’s complex world and identify ways forward for our businesses. Business China’s mission is to help develop a core of bilingual and bicultural talents amongst Singaporeans with the skills and capabilities to be better able to address the business opportunities in China and increasingly in partnership with Chinese companies venturing out in the region.”
Ms Tin Pei Ling, Chief Executive of Business China, said: “2022 marks the 15th anniversary of Business China, and initiatives such as FCGF strengthen our commitment to serve as a platform for business leaders in Singapore and China to foster greater mutual understanding and reinforces our efforts in building economic and cultural bridges connecting the world and China.
We position FCGF as a bilingual platform for knowledge exchange amongst government agencies and leading academia and industry leaders from around the world. We are pleased to bring together close to 40 global leading voices in the public and private sectors, as well as over 500 delegates attending in-person, to exchange insights and engage in meaningful conversations about the developments in China and the region. We hope that these conversations spark new opportunities and provide Singapore business leaders the head start to capture potential business opportunities in the developments in sustainability, supply chains, and technology.”
As part of the agenda of the FCGF 2022, the event also held an exhibition featuring public agencies such as the Infocomm Media Development Authority, as well as private institutions such as OCBC Bank and Bank of China. There are also thematic showcases about the future of supply chains, featuring Lazada, Oracle Netsuite and YCH Holdings, and the metaverse, featuring Huawei, Hashkey Capital, CapitaLand and Tencent.
Business China also co-organised closed-door roundtables where participants exchanged knowledge about the latest developments in finance and technology in today’s complex world.
The Business China Youth Forum (BCYF) 2022 was held in tandem with the FCGF 2022, organised by members of the Business China Youth Chapter. The BCYF aims to bring together youths in the ASEAN-China region to discuss in-depth critical issues and trends which are of interest to youths, and to provide the latest updates on exciting developments in China. As part of the BCYF 2022, Business China and OSG Youth Alliance announced a partnership on a one-year Programme known as the YES (Youth Exchange Scheme) Virtual Corporate Project & Training Programme, which aims to provide Singaporean youths with corporate projects and training opportunities. This partnership, along with the BCYF, is part of Business China’s efforts to cultivate the next generation of bilingual and bicultural China-ready Singaporeans.
In addition, Business China held a Masterclass for members of the public, on building resilient supply chains through digitalisation and sustainability. The Masterclass was conducted by industry experts from Lazada, OCBC Bank, Oracle Netsuite and YCH Holdings on 6 October 2022.
BUSINESS CHINA CELEBRATES 15TH ANNIVERSARY
As part of Business China’s anniversary celebration, all guests and delegates of FCGF are eligible for a limited edition NFT.
In addition, the FCGF gala dinner will hold a silent auction for a crystal commemorative plaque that features the first newspaper article published on 10 October 2007 by Lianhe Zaobao on the formation of Business China. The successful bid will go towards Business China’s mission to cultivate future generations of bilingual and bicultural China-ready Singaporeans.
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