MEDIA STATEMENT

Acting Minister Lui Tuck Yew visits & Zhuhai with over 130 Singapore companies to explore business opportunities

Inaugural Singapore- Collaboration Council meeting to take place during the trip.

MR No.: 042/09 Singapore, Tuesday, 14 July 2009

1. RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Acting Minister for Information, Communications & the Arts, will be leading a business mission to the cities of Guangzhou and Zhuhai in Guangdong province from 15 – 18 July 2009. Acting Minister Lui is visiting Guangdong in the capacity of the Co-Chairman of the Singapore-Guangdong Collaboration Council (SGCC), which was formed in March this year1. Guangdong Vice Governor Qingliang is the Co-Chairman representing Guangdong Province. International Enterprise (IE) Singapore is the Singapore secretariat of the Council.

2. Acting Minister Lui will be accompanied by more than 160 representatives from over 130 companies as well as officials from various ministries, agencies and organisations, including the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Education, IE Singapore, DesignSingapore Council, Economic Development Board, Media Development Authority of Singapore, National Arts Council, Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) and Singapore Business Federation (SBF). Among the delegation are members of the SGCC, the SCCCI and SBF. The participating companies come from a range of

1 The SGCC was formally established on 24 March 2009 during Senior Minister (SM) Goh Chok Tong’s visit to Guangdong. Witnessed by SM Goh and Guangdong Party Secretary , the Memorandum of Understanding for the council was signed by Acting Minister Lui and Guangdong Vice Governor Wan Qingliang.

IE Media Statement 14 Jul 09

industries including education, logistics, infrastructure services, environmental services, infocomm technology and more.

3. The inaugural SGCC meeting will take place in Guangzhou on 16 July 2009, discussing the potential areas of cooperation between Singapore and Guangdong to support the province’s new direction to transform its economy into a knowledge- based one. Besides providing a platform for Singapore-based companies, including SMEs, to interact with the provincial officials, the mission will also allow them to better understand the developments of the province and explore business opportunities that have arisen due to the restructuring of the economy.

4. During the mission, Acting Minister Lui will call on Guangdong Party Secretary Wang Yang, Guangdong Governor Huahua, Guangzhou Party Sec , Guangdong Vice Governor Wan Qingliang, Zhuhai Mayor as well as other political leaders of Guangzhou and Zhuhai. He will also witness several Memoranda of Understanding signings and a groundbreaking event for a Singapore project. In addition, the business delegation will visit Zhuhai Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, Zhuhai Gaolan Port Economic Zone and Zhuhai Jiuzhou Port.

Bilateral trade and investment

5. Guangdong province was Singapore’s top trading partner in China last year, accounting for more than a quarter of our total trade with China2. Total bilateral trade amounted to US$14.76 billion, an increase of 7.7% over 2007. Exports to Singapore reached US$8.29 billion (+4.3%) while imports from Singapore reached US$6.46 billion (+12.4%) in 2008. From January to April 2009, bilateral trade between Singapore and Guangdong amounted to US$3.8 billion. (Source: Guangdong Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation)

6. Singapore’s investments in Guangdong province accounted for about 11% of our total investments in China, making the province the second largest investment province in China for Singapore companies after Jiangsu last year. Singapore was also Guangdong province’s fifth largest investor in 2008, with actual FDI amounting to US$546 million, As of end 2008, Singapore’s cumulative actual FDI reached US$5.45 billion, with 1,952 projects. From January to April 2009, Singapore’s actual foreign direct investments (FDI) in Guangdong totalled US$101

2 In 2008, Guangdong province accounted for about 28% of Singapore’s total trade with China.

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IE Media Statement 14 Jul 09

million with 20 projects. (Source: Guangdong Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation)

Annex: Chinese terms ---End--- Note to Editor Please use ‘IE Singapore’ or ‘IE’ if an acronym for ‘International Enterprise Singapore’ is required. In addition, unless otherwise stated, the use of statistics cited in our media releases, website or Statlink, should be attributed to IE Singapore.

Issued by IE Singapore. For media enquiries, please contact:

Ms CHENG Kiat Loon Manager, Media and Marketing Communications Corporate Communications Group DID : + 65 6433 4465 Hp : + 65 9799 0904 Email : [email protected] ______

About International Enterprise Singapore International Enterprise (IE) Singapore is an agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry spearheading the development of Singapore’s external economic wing.

Our mission is to promote the overseas growth of Singapore-based enterprises and international trade. With a global network in over 30 locations and our 3C framework of assistance – Connections, Competency, Capital, we offer services to help enterprises export, develop business capabilities, find overseas partners and enter new markets. At the same time, we work to position Singapore as a base for foreign businesses to expand into the region in partnership with Singapore-based companies. Please visit www.iesingapore.com for more information.

About Singapore-Guangdong Collaboration Council The Singapore-Guangdong Collaboration Council (SGCC) was established on 24 March 2009, with the objective of promoting broader exchanges and cooperation between the business communities of Singapore and Guangdong. The launch of the SGCC was witnessed by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Guangdong Party Secretary Wang Yang. Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew and Guangdong Vice- Governor Wan Qingliang are Co-Chairmen of the Council.

Comprising leaders, government officials and private sector representatives from Singapore and Guangdong, the SGCC aims to promote cooperation between Singapore and Guangdong beyond economic areas, including training, tourism and education exchanges.

The council shall endeavour to achieve its objectives through the following means: a) Serve as a bridge between the economic and commercial entities and communities of Singapore and Guangdong; b) Exchange economic data and information to promote and guide bilateral trade and investment; c) Organise regular exchange activities between Singapore and Guangdong to expand cooperation in various areas / sectors; d) Resolve difficulties encountered in collaborative projects, establishing an excellent cooperation mechanism and an environment conducive for cooperation; e) Other forms of work that both parties think are beneficial for economic and social development.

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IE Media Statement 14 Jul 09

ANNEX Chinese terms

Mr Goh Chok Tong 吴作栋先生 Senior Minister, Singapore 新加坡国务资政 RADM (NS) Lui Tuck Yew 吕德耀少将 Acting Minister 新加坡新闻、通讯及艺术部代部长 Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts 联合主席 Co-Chairman 新加坡-广东合作理事会 Singapore-Guangdong Collaboration Council Mr Wang Yang 汪洋先生 Guangdong Party Secretary 广东省委书记 Mr 黄华华先生 Guangdong Governor 广东省长

Mr Zhu Xiaodan 朱小丹先生 Guangzhou Party Secretary 广州市委书记 Mr Wan Qingliang 万庆良先生 Guangdong Vice Governor 中华人民共和国广东省副省长 People’s Republic of China

Co-Chairman 联合主席 Singapore-Guangdong Collaboration Council 新加坡-广东合作理事会 Mr Zhong Shijian 钟世坚先生 Zhuhai Mayor 珠海市长

International Enterprise (IE) Singapore 新加坡国际企业发展局 (简称：企发局)

Zhuhai Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone 珠海高新产业开发区

Zhuhai Gaolan Port Economic Zone 珠海高栏港经济区

Zhuhai Jiuzhou Port 珠海九洲港

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