SMU graduate Zhang Guowei, who is now working and living in Bangkok, commented that the Singapore Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative (HYLI) has helped him better understand the role of Singapore in the development of ASEAN. "The biggest surprise for me was the focus on resource and energy consumption, especially in Asean. I also did not realise that Singapore is one of the biggest energy consumers in Asean, especially since Singapore has no natural resources and must rely on a number of countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia," he elaborated.