Business China Youth Chapter (BCYC) organised a dialogue session with Business China CEO, Ms Tin Pei Ling, to discuss ways for Business China to work with youths to cultivate the next generation of Singapore-China savvy talents. The session was attended virtually by 38 BCYC members and moderated by BCYC Vice President, Sophia Huang on 26 June 2021.
Strong Synergy between Business China and BCYC
During the session, Ms Tin emphasised the importance of BCYC as the youth network of Business China. Ms Tin shared that BCYC is an extension of Business China where the two organisations complement each other greatly in their goals and missions. Through the BCYC, Business China provides a platform for like-minded youths to participate in Business China’s events, organise activities that will build their capacity as bilingual and bicultural youths and promote connections with Chinese youths. Ms Tin opined that this is part of an important process to nurture and equip young bilingual leaders with a deep understanding of Singapore and China affairs.
When asked by the moderator, Sophia, and other members how could BCYC complement and contribute to the mission of Business China, Ms Tin highlighted four points succinctly. First, she believed that an understanding of the genesis and strategic objectives of Business China is crucial for members to stay aligned with Business China’s mission. Second, she encouraged members to be creative and initiate new programmes that will contribute to the mission of Business China. Third, she advised members to consider broadening the BCYC network with other youth organisations. And lastly, she hoped that members could provide fresh perspectives to help Business China curate interesting content that would attract Singaporean youths and cultivate their interests in bilingualism and biculturalism.
Outreach Efforts to Singaporean Youths
Ms Tin noted that Business China has been extending outreach to young Singaporeans to promote bilingualism and biculturalism through more channels and quality content.
By keeping a close relationship with Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) in Singapore, Ms Tin shared that Business China is collaborating with schools to explore new ways to update students on important developments in Singapore and China. Besides, Business China also seeks to work with more partners to curate and deliver intriguing contents that will resonate with youths. This is amongst Business China’s many other continuous efforts to reach out to more youths through social media platforms and attract them to participate actively in series of planned youth events.
Stay humble, be quietly confident, and keep the spirit of learning
Ms Tin pointed out that China continues to advance with greater international exposure and enhanced English proficiency, whereas the rest of the world is catching up with prevalence of Chinese education, hence undermining Singapore’s bilingual competitive edge. With this, Ms Tin cautioned the need for Singapore to constantly position itself with clear and distinct values in order to maintain its relevance to China and the world.
Even though Singapore has other core competencies in the global landscape and new economy, Ms Tin concluded the dialogue by calling for youths to ‘stay humble’, ‘be quietly confident’ and to ‘keep the spirit of learning’ to stay relevant in this increasingly competitive world.
To join Business China Youth Chapter, please download the application form and email to: bcyc@businesschina.org.sg.
This article is contributed by Business China Youth Chapter Member Tan Xin Yi (Yvonne).