SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer said in his welcome speech that the China Forum is a part of SMU’s China Initiatives aimed at raising its profile in China as a research university. SMU wants to contribute to Singapore-China collaboration in business, government and civic society by nurturing China-ready and bicultural graduates who are able to function effectively in China. Another major undertaking of the SMU China Initiatives is to actively drive and strengthen collaboration with existing and new partner universities in research and postgraduate education. The aim is to play a key role in creating and sharing knowledge and thought leadership that will benefit both Singapore and China, Prof De Meyer added.