SPEECH BY MR LEE YI SHYAN
Chairman Business China
Former Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of National Development
At the Commemorative Celebration of SIP 25th Anniversary
Suzhou Industrial Park
12 April 2019
Honorable Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Teo Chee Hean,
Honorable Party Secretary of CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, Chairman of the Standing Committee of Jiangsu Provincial People’s Congress, Mr Lou Qinjian (娄勤俭),
Ministers, Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen,
1.The first time I participated in helping SIP was in early 1997. I was then with EDB Chicago. I received then Suzhou Mayor Zhang Xin Sheng (章新胜) in St Louis of Missouri. Together we called on Mr. Chuck Knight, then CEO of Emerson. There were six of us at dinner: three from China-Singapore side, three from the Emerson side. Relying on masterplan and photos of work sites, we encouraged Emerson to invest in China through SIP. Mayor Zhang impressed Mr. Knight with his fluent spoken English. At the end of the two-hour dinner, Mr. Knight expressed commitment to site a scroll compressor plant in SIP. That was my first, successful joint-marketing call with Mayor Zhang.
2.From the time EDB received instructions in late 1996 to mobilise its international network to help market SIP to the Fortune 500s worldwide, my colleagues and I in EDB took it as our top work priority to reach out to our international clients, even though most of us in the US, Europe and Japan had not been to SIP ourselves. Some MNCs also got confused and asked why a Singapore government agency was marketing for an industrial park in China.
3. In November 1997, I relocated from EDB Chicago to EDB Suzhou office, assuming a concurrent role of EDB’s Chief Representative in China and China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park Development Co., Ltd’s (CSSD) Deputy CEO (Marketing). Six months later, my wife and two young children joined me in Suzhou. For 23 years since, I have been involved in SIP’s development in various capacities: as CEO of IE Singapore, as Co-Chair of Singapore Jiangsu Cooperation Council, Minister of State of Ministry of Trade and Industry, and now Chairman, Business China.
4. The period 1998-2000 were difficult times for SIP. Externally, CSSD faced a pessimistic business mood brought upon by the Asian Financial Crisis. Internally, we were trying to resolve significant differences at the ideological, operational and financial level. After about 1.5 years of painstaking negotiations, Mr. Liang Baohua(梁保华), Mr. Chen Deming（陈德铭）(who came to Suzhou as Jiangsu Standing Committee) and Mr. Xie Jiabing（谢家宾）(then SIPAC PS) on the Chinese side, and Mr. Khaw Boon Wan, Mr. Lim Chee Onn, Mr. Lim Neo Chian at the Singapore side, came to a resolution which was accepted by both governments. It was a turning point for SIP. Our relationship changed from being adversarial to one which was characterised by single-mindedness and teamwork. From year 2000 onwards, SIP entered a golden period of rapid development and industrialisation. By the time we celebrated the 10th and 15th anniversaries, SIP was already a new city gleaming with modern industries, beautiful greeneries, stunning architecture and increasing population.
5. More profound than the physical development was the Singapore software being transferred to the new township. People-centered services were introduced in the neighborhood centers. One-stop centers set up for businesses. The foundation was laid for an internationally competitive industrial park while creating a highly livable city. SIP GDP and government revenue soared. Workers got good jobs. Residents’ wealth and purchasing power rose rapidly. Finally let me conclude in Mandarin:
6.这些年，为了让苏州工业园更好地发展，不断地壮大，我们目标清晰、实事求是、不分彼此、坦诚相待、精诚团结，一起应对竞争，克服了很多困难。因为高度互信，同事们都成为好朋友。因此，我非常珍惜与江苏朋友们长期以来所建立的友谊和信任。能和大家共事是我的荣幸，能够见证一座卓越新城的诞生，平地崛起，看到一百二十万人安居乐业，让我感到无比欣慰和自豪，相信大家也有同感。我深信，也热切的盼望，我们两地，两国人民之间的友谊长存，世代相传。
7. 最后，在这喜庆的日子，我祝愿苏州工业园区在未来的日子茁壮成长，欣欣向荣，也祝愿各位身体健康，幸福安康。谢谢大家。