Singapore, Monday 12 July 2021 | The FutureChina Global Forum (FCGF) 2021, organised by Business China, a non-profit organisation that aims to strengthen ties between Singapore and China, commenced this morning. Held in a hybrid format for the first time, over 1,500 distinguished business leaders, public personalities, political leaders, and industry experts from Singapore, China, and the ASEAN region gathered at the forum on 12 July, to discuss pertinent trends, opportunities, and lessons drawn from ASEAN and China, that will prepare the region for an increasingly volatile and complex “Never Normal” future.
The “Never Normal” is a term coined by business entrepreneur, advisor, and author Peter Hinssen as a “reality where change is constantly triggered by ‘seismic shocks’” – be it ecological, societal, or geopolitical in nature.
Dr Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower, Business China Board Director; and Chairman of FutureChina Committee, said, “Global economic gravity is shifting towards the East, pushing new frontiers in the long-standing ASEAN-China collaboration. As economies and businesses look to rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19, they must learn to anticipate uncertainty, embrace volatility, and capture opportunities to thrive. Themed ‘Elevating ASEAN-China Economic Collaboration in the ‘Never Normal’, FCGF 2021 facilitated robust discussions around the trends, growth opportunities and lessons drawn from the two regions. I hope delegates will find the forum insightful in appreciating how elevated ASEAN-China partnership in the ‘Never Normal’ will drive technological advancement, financial connectivity, investment, and trade flow in the future.”
The physical component of the 12th edition of FCGF was held at Sands Expo & Convention Centre, comprising six thematic roundtable discussions and six breakout sessions. Participants could also join these discussions virtually, alongside exhibitions and a Masterclass on blockchain technology.
Through these sessions, participants discussed the new frontier that economies in ASEAN and China are facing, along with a multitude of growth opportunities to be realised in the region’s extraordinary pace of development and innovation – in the areas of technological advancement, sustainability development, financial connectivity, growing investment, and trade optimisation.
Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Chairman of Business China, said, “The sequelae of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with pre-pandemic trends that have accelerated since the outbreak – the rise of anti-globalisation, the rapid development of the digital economy, and growing China-US tensions, have given rise to the terms ‘new normal’ and ‘never normal’. Amid the pandemic, ASEAN-China relations have continued to deepen, demonstrating the resilience of regional integration. Hence, at this year’s FCGF, I hope that participants gain new insights on how ASEAN-China cooperation can be further strengthened to tackle changing global trends. These perspectives will help position companies to capture business opportunities in this new era.”
Over the course of this annual forum, FCGF 2021 will see a strong line-up of distinguished speakers including Dr Lars Hansen, recipient of the 2013 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred, from the United States; Mr Liang Xinjun, Co- Founder, Fosun International, from China; Prof Wimboh Santoso, Chairman, Indonesia Financial Services Authority, from Indonesia; Ms Helen Wong, Group CEO, OCBC, from Singapore; Mr Lien Choong Luen, General Manager, GOJEK Singapore, from Singapore; Mr Frank Phuan, CEO and Executive Director, Sunseap, from Singapore, and Mr Vorapol (Brook) Supanusonti, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Asia Partners, from Singapore.
Driving the future of ASEAN-China growth at the Business China Youth Forum 2021
Held in tandem with FCGF 2021, the Business China Youth Forum (BCYF) 2021 took place virtually on 12 July, from 1.30pm to 6.00pm. Themed ‘Generation Never Normal: Youths as Drivers of Future ASEAN-China Growth’, BCYF 2021 was organised by the Business China Youth Chapter (BCYC) and discussed three emerging trends in the ASEAN-China regions – youth-driven growth of digital consumerism, investment trends and interests of youths, and growing interest in youth entrepreneurship. BCYF 2021 explored how these youth-led developments are driving the future of ASEAN-China growth in the “Never Normal”.
Pushing boundaries and empowering entrepreneurs with the Business China Start-up Pitching Challenge
The winners of the inaugural Business China Start-up Pitching Challenge were also announced during FCGF 2021. Building upon Business China’s mandate to provide businesses with greater exposure to the regional business landscape, this first-ever pitching challenge offered 12 start-ups the opportunity to showcase their solutions and products to a distinguished panel of investors, thought leaders and industry experts.
This regional competition, which was supported by partners ACE, Chinaccelerator, SGInnovate and SGTech, saw participants from Singapore, Hong Kong and mainland China exhibiting technologies at the forefront of the medical, healthcare and tech sector.
Virtual Masterclass on building trust in “trustless” blockchain technology
A virtual Masterclass will be held on the second day of FCGF 2021 on 13 July, from 9.00am to 12.00pm. Themed ‘Mastering Business Growth through Trustless Technology in the “Never Normal”’, the Masterclass features renowned business leaders in the blockchain field on how this emerging technology can be harnessed with confidence. Through a series of engaging lectures, these leaders will share how data and blockchain technology can be leveraged to drive the region’s industrial transformation, deepen trade and financial connectivity, while ensuring data privacy and protection as data interconnection continues to grow.
Esteemed speakers at the Masterclass include Mr Leo Lin, CEO, Aitos.io, from China; Mr James Qu, Chief Technology Officer, PlatON, from China; and Mr Paul Schulte, Founder, Schulte Research, from Hong Kong.
For full list of speakers, please visit: https://www.futurechina.sg/en/fcgf/speakers-2021/
For the FCGF 2021 Programme details, please visit: https://www.futurechina.sg/en/fcgf/programmes-2021/
For the FCGF 2021 Virtual Masterclass details, please visit: https://www.futurechina.sg/en/fcgf/masterclass2021/
For more information about FCGF 2021, please visit: https://www.futurechina.sg/