Historical Events of the 3rdChina-Singapore Intergovernmental Cooperative Program

·November 9th, 2014

During President Xi Jinping’s meet with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the Great Hall of the People, he stated that the cooperation between China and Singapore was full of strategic, prospective and demonstrative value and it was always developing ahead of China’s cooperation with other ASEAN countries. Both sides should firmly maintain the orientation of mutual trust, benefit and assistance and keep pace with the times so that the cooperation might better integrate with the development strategy of the two countries and more achievements could be gained. Both sides should promote the liberalization and facilitation of bilateral trade, investment and service and continue to better the Suzhou Industrial Park and Tianjin Eco-Town. As modern service industry and connectivity was the theme of intergovernmental cooperation between the two nations, China hoped to expedite the development progress and build up a highcaliber and high-standard platform for innovative cooperation in her western region.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Singapore would enhance China-Singapore cooperation in a more positive and long-term perspective in accordance with the development of “Belt and Road Initiative” and continue to enrich the philosophy and meaning of partnership. Singapore would like to build well the China-Singapore Free Trade Zone and take active efforts in the large-scale development of W est China. As the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank was a helpful supplement to the current multilateral development institutions, Singapore would give strong support.

·February 1st, 2015

Leading the China-Singapore study group, Chan Chun Sing, Minister of Singapore’s Ministry of Social and Family Development came to Chongqing along with Deputy Minister of China’s Ministry Gao Yan to carry out an on-thespot investigation for the 3rdintergovernmental cooperation program between the two countries.

·November 6th, 2015

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Singapore and announced the of ficial commencement of the 3rdChina-Singapore intergovernmental cooperation program and that the operation center of the program would be in Chongqing. President Xi said as tokens of intergovernmental and regional cooperation between the two nations, the construction of Suzhou Industrial Park and Tianjin Eco-Town were carried out very well and this time his visit would mark the official launching of the 3rdintergovernmental cooperation program in Chongqing. And he observed that these down-to-earth fruit out of genuine cooperation showed that the cooperation between China and Singapore was bursting out more and more vim and vigor.

·November 7th, 2015

Under the witness of President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the two sides signed in Singapore the Framework Agreement on China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity and off cially launched the 3rd intergovernmental cooperation program whose operation center will be in Chongqing. In addition, Mayor Huang Qifan and Minister Chan Chun Sing signed the Implementation Agreement on China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity. And while focusing on the theme of “modern connectivity and modern service-based economy” and following the principal of “mutual benefit and win-win basis, feasible commerce, sustainable development, and replicable patterns”, according to the agreement, China and Singapore will carry out cooperation in priority f elds such as f nancial service, aviation, transportation logistics and information and communication technology and integrate themselves into the “Belt and Road Initiative”, the strategy of large-scale development in W est China and Yangtze Economic Zone so as to form a cooperative pattern that promote joint development. As another innovationoriented demonstration cooperation program between China and Singapore, it boasts high starting point, high standard and will further forge ahead the wide-ranging, comprehensive and all-round cooperation between Chongqing and Singapore and become a new engine driving the development in Chongqing’s opening-up highland of inland China, and a new source of economic growth that synergize the development of inland region, especially the western part of China.

·November 5thto 8th, 2015

Mayor Huang Qifan attended the signing ceremony of the 3rdintergovernmental cooperation program along with his municipal delegation and visited related Singaporean government departments and famous enterprises for a joint consultation of the program construction. During his stay in Singapore, Mayor Huang Qifan met with leaders of Singaporean government such as V ice Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean , Minister of Prime Minister’s Off ce Chan Chun Sing , Minister of Department of Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang and Director of Monetary Authority Ravi Meng. And he extended best greetings from Sun Zhengcai to them and exchanged opinions on the promotion of CSDISC. Meanwhile, he respectively had a talk with heads of f nancial institutions from Temasek, Changi Airport, SGX, DBS, OCBC, and UOB. Having introduced to them the situation of socio-economic development, openingup and reform and innovation in Chongqing, he made some proposals on deepening the cooperation between the two sides. In response, the relevant enterprises agreed that the CSDISC was a great platform for joint venture cooperation and mutual benefit and they would take this opportunity to enhance their cooperation with Chongqing. In addition, Mayor Huang Qifan also had a discussion with heads of sub-braches of BOC, ICBC, and CCB in Singapore on such issues as financial statement, oversea listing of Chongqing’s enterprise and bond.

·November 16thto 17th, 2015

As a member of the Political Bureau of Central Committee and Secretary of Chongqing Municipal Committee, Sun Zhengcai emphasized the significance of the “Framework Agreement on CSDISC” on the 7thPlenary Session of the 4thChongqing Municipal Party Committee. He pinpointed that the program f t in with the “Belt and Road Initiative”, the largescale development strategy of West China and the development of Yangtze Economic Zone; that it was as much as a great opportunity as a fresh new challenge for Chongqing. And he said Chongqing would make it a new demonstration program of the mutual beneficial cooperation between China and Singapore. And the major cooperation fields to be push forward would cover financial service, aviation, transportation logistics and information and communication technology.

·January 8th, 2016

The day witnessed the commencement of the 3rdintergovernmental cooperation program between China and Singapore——China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity. On this very day, the number of the f rst contracted programs was as many as 12, with a gross amount of $6.56 billion.

Further reading

Suzhou Industrial Park & Tianjin Eco-Town

Among the cooperation in various fields, the intergovernmental program takes the lead in the relationship between China and Singapore. Apart from the recently launched CSDISC, the two sides agree to continue the construction of Suzhou Industrial Park and Tianjin Eco-Town, start an upgrade negotiation on the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (CSFTA) and promote bilateral economic relations to a new high level. In the context of the “Belt and Road Initiative”, China and Singapore will actively explore the third-party market collaborative model of enterprises of the two nations and jointly build up a f nancial support platform for regional productivity cooperation.

The Suzhou Industrial Park, which is set up in 1994 with approval, tightly hinges on the Innovation-driven Strategy of China and carries out combined trials on opening-up and innovation to upgrade China’s development zone and explore the path to build a demonstration platform of overseas investment service for Singapore, ASEAN and even countries along the Maritime Silk Road. For the recent years, the industrial park has played a positive leading role in terms of promoting industrial upgrading, concentrating independent innovation of science and technology, expediting the construction of comprehensive commercial town and highland for talented personnel, improving the social well-being of people as well as highlighting innovation-oriented system and mechanism.

The Tianjin Eco-Town built in 2008 persists in green and innovation-driven development. It focuses on making the region more appealing, competitive and vigorous. In order to accelerate the construction of a national region of green development, much ef fort has been paid to explore a new road of intensive, ef ficient and smart urbanization in regards to healthy eco-environment, harmonious and progressive society, prosperous economy and regional coordination and integration. In response to national policy in recent years, the town has so far aggregated nearly 400 Internet companies and formed a development foundation based on the model of “Internet+ industry”. On May 4th, 2013, President Xi Jinping said during his inspection of the eco-town that the town should combine advancement and popularization; give cogent response to issues concerning people’s harmonious coexistence with people, with economic activity, and eventually with the environment; and lastly it should set a good reference for the whole cause of building a resource-saving and environmentally friendly society.

Currently the two intergovernmental cooperation programs tend to be mature. They have become demonstration ones in China’s industrialization and urbanization process and set example for China to carry out various international cooperation in the future.