[Featured Photo: The Sino-Singapore Dialogue speakers and hosts from SMU and Stratagem Group. Top L-R: Mr Adrian Phua (Managing Director, Stratagem Group), Dr James Tang (Dean of School of Social Sciences, SMU) and Mr Song Junying (Deputy Director, Department of Asia-Pacific Security and Cooperation, China Institute of International Studies. Bottom L-R: Mr Chang Hao (Divisional Director, International Cooperation Department of ICC-NDRC), Mr Xing Guojun (Executive Director, ICC-NDRC), Mr Er Kwong Wah (Former Permanent Secretary of Education), Mdm Song Gongmei (Deputy Director-General, ICC-NDRC), Ms Liu Yazhen (PhD Candidate at China Center for Collaborative Studies of the South China Sea), Mr Dai Bowen (Project Officer, ICC-NDRC)]
Singapore Management University (SMU) and Stratagem Group co-organised the fourth SMU-Stratagem Group Sino-Singapore Dialogue on 22 September 2017, themed “The growth of maritime nations along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road”. Over a hundred participants from the various government ministries, think tanks, Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs), State-Owned Enterprises from Singapore, China and the region attended the event where distinguished speakers from China shared their insights on China’s ascent as a maritime nation, its role in Asia-Pacific security and maritime affairs, and the maritime relationship between China and Singapore, and the Southeast Asia region.
Prior to the start of the forum discussions, Mdm Song Gongmei, Deputy Director-General of International Cooperation Centre of National Development Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China (ICC-NDRC) and Mr Goh Yong Siang, Chairman of Stratagem Group, signed a Letter of Intent formalising the partnership between both organisations to co-develop various capital-raising, project facilitation and knowledge exchange mechanisms to enhance Sino-Singapore cooperation in Belt and Road Projects in the region. Stratagem Group is also the first private company outside of China to have a formal partnership with ICC-NDRC.
In his welcome address, Professor James Tang, Dean of School of Social Sciences and Special Advisor to the President on Greater China at SMU, shared that beyond the economic benefits of the Belt and Road Initiative, there was potential for cross-sector collaboration – that includes government agencies, corporations, academia and development organisations – to create positive social impact both in China and in Southeast Asia. On the partnership between ICC-NDRC and Stratagem Group, Professor Tang said that he was hopeful that this partnership will produce positive outcomes bringing more Belt and Road related investments from China to South East Asia, leading ultimately to greater social interconnectivity and positive social change in the region.
The dialogue’s keynote speaker Mr Xing Guojun, Executive Director of ICC-NDRC, added that the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road was an essential component in the Belt and Road Initiative as a key driver of maritime economy in the region. He said that this partnership between ICC-NDRC and Stratagem Group would serve as a foundation to enhance Sino-Singapore cooperation in facilitating projects in the region.
Mdm Song Gongmei added that she strongly believed the partnership between ICC-NDRC and Stratagem Group would provide an effective platform for companies to better understand the Belt and Road initiative towards the aim of identifying and capturing the associated opportunities in the region.
Dr Zhou Fangye, Associate Research Fellow, Department of Political Studies, National Institute of International Strategy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (NIIS, CASS) reiterated the need to strengthen international discourse through construction, enhance the existing international multilateral rules system, reinforce traditional security and non-traditional security cooperation and promote understanding through the reform of institutional mechanisms in his speech, “The community of shared future of mankind and Asia-Pacific Maritime Safety Governance”.
Ms Liu Yazhen from the China Center for Collaborative Studies of the South China Sea, Nanjing University added that Singapore should leverage on its comparative advantage in finance, trading, human resource, technology and urban planning and support the strategic implementation of Belt and Road in Singapore.
At the panel discussion, all the panellists agreed that the partnership between ICC-NDRC and Stratagem Group was an important step towards the creation of more cooperative mechanisms for Belt and Road projects in the region, to effectively drive commercial engagements across the region.
About the SMU-Stratagem Group Sino-Singapore Dialogue
Since 2015, Stratagem Group has partnered with SMU to launch the SMU-Stratagem Group Sino-Singapore Dialogue series where the first dialogue was held on 31 March 2016. The Dialogue will be conducted twice annually, with a total of ten sessions to be held by 2021. It aims to promote greater awareness and understanding of Sino-Singapore developments, and how these can influence and be impacted by regional and international affairs. Speakers for the Dialogue sessions will include retired senior government officials, established academics and renowned businessmen from China, who will share their expertise and knowledge on relevant topics.
