The Suzhou Industrial Park held the China-Singapore Investment Forum & Signing for SIP China-Singapore Cooperation Projects on Nov 25 in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. During the event, 26 China-Singapore bilateral investment projects were formalized across three fields, spanning sectors such as biopharmaceuticals, joint innovation, the digital economy and green development.
The agreements encompassed seven pivotal China-Singapore cooperation projects. Nine Singaporean enterprises undertook various investment initiatives across multiple sectors within the park.
Additionally, 10 Chinese companies established overseas headquarters, research and development facilities, and operational centers in Singapore, including the AI Speech Singapore Overseas
Headquarters and Zelos Technology Singapore Operation Center. These projects demonstrate the collaborative construction between China and Singapore in the SIP.
The Suzhou Industrial Park, marking the first intergovernmental cooperative venture between China and Singapore, has attracted more than 400 Singaporean companies, utilizing more than $4.9 billion invested by Singaporean capital over three decades.
In recent years, a significant number of enterprises in the SIP have "gone global", leveraging the China-Singapore "International Corridor "and other bilateral platforms to accelerate their international development layouts.
Through investment attraction, the cooperation between the SIP and Singapore has deepened and expanded into areas such as joint innovation, green development, the digital economy, and modern services, jointly creating a series of representative cooperative projects.
As a participant in the development and construction of the SIP, Keppel is now pivoting its collaborative focus with the park toward the green economy.
William Tan, managing director of the real estate division at Keppel, overseeing the real estate and leisure businesses in China, emphasized their focus on the China-Singapore Green Digital Infrastructure project. The initiative involves developing a green, low-carbon index system in partnership with the SIP.
"We aspire for this index system to be extended throughout the entire Suzhou Industrial Park and potentially to countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, serving as a vibrant example of China's high-quality development," Tan said.
Yang Jing, CEO of Qichacha Tec, said that the company's strategic alliance with Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation represented its inaugural expansion beyond the Chinese mainland.
"Our objective is to assist Chinese enterprises in making successful 'first steps' overseas, particularly in Singapore. We also endeavor to utilize this platform to enhance global capital's understanding and appreciation of Chinese businesses," Yang said.
Jiang Weiming, director of the SIP Investment Promotion Committee, said: "The SIP, through the organization of the China-Singapore Investment Forum, seeks to strengthen bilateral cooperation between China and Singapore in investment, trade and other sectors. The initiative aims to elevate the level of collaboration, optimize the investment environment and showcase the distinctive features of China-Singapore joint development within the park."
The Suzhou Industrial Park organizes the China-Singapore Investment Forum & Signing for SIP China-Singapore Cooperation Projects on Nov 25. ZHOU ZHIHANG/FOR CHINA DAILY