To usher in the auspicious Dragon year, Business China and Singapore Federation Chinese Clan Associations (SFCCA) co-organised Spring Reception 2012 on 25 Jan, the third day of the Lunar New Year.
Gracing the event as the guest-of-honour was Singapore Prime Minister, Mr Lee Hsien Loong. Other distinguished guests at the Spring Reception were Minister Lim Swee Say, Minister Gan Kim Yong, Chinese Ambassador to Singapore H.E. Wei Wei, Former Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng, Acting Minister Chan Chun Sing and other Members of Parliament.
Delivering his speech in Mandarin, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted the Chinese community has contributed greatly in strengthening the foreign relations especially between Singapore and China. He said, “As China has grown to become a powerhouse on the international stage, we need to deepen our understanding on China and strengthen the bilateral relations through trade, economic and cultural links.”
PM Lee applauded Business China commitment in fulfilling its mission since its inception as the leading bilingual and bi-cultural channel for closer collaboration with China. He also gave his blessings to its new initiatives in creating an environment conducive for bilingual and bicultural learning and deepening the relations between the two countries.
Chairman of Business China and President of SFCCA, Mr Chua Thian Poh said in its welcome address, “In conjunction with Business China 5th anniversary this year, some 40 progammes has been lined up to nurture Singaporeans to be more China-savvy.
One of them is Future China Advanced Leaders programme for the senior executives and businessmen with interests in China. Conducted with Nanyang Business School, this executive management programme will be the first in Asia that address the complex dynamics between the social, political, economic and cultural factors that are fuelling China’s rapid rise. (For more details, visit: www.futurechina-alp.sg.)
Meanwhile, SFCCA also announced the initiative to establish a Chinese Cultural Centre that will serve as a place for community interactions and activities as well as a platform to motivate and aid the new Chinese immigrants to integrate better into the society.
The government has promised help for the new Cultural Centre which is expected to be up in three years’ time.
This was the second consecutive year that SFCCA and Business China had collaborated to organise the Spring Reception. More than 600 invited guests from different fields cheered in festive mood as they exchanged greetings.