MEDIA RELEASE Embargoed till 1730hrs, 3 Sept 2010

Singapore- economic collaboration gears towards creating ‘value-add’ for the province’s modern services industry Minister Lim Swee Say officiates at five Singapore companies’ project openings in Chengdu, Sichuan province today.

MR No.: 053/10 Singapore, Friday, 3 September 2010

1. With Sichuan focusing strongly on the development of modern services, Singapore-based companies are well-equipped to contribute its offerings to address some of the needs of the province. During the third session of the 11th Sichuan Provincial People’s Congress in January this year, the Sichuan Provincial Development and Reform Commission highlighted ten areas that the province will focus on developing in 2010. One key area highlighted is the development of the modern services industry and raising consumer’s demand （加快发展现代服务业， 积极拓展消费需求）.

2. Said Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, who is the Advisor to the Singapore-Sichuan Trade and Investment Committee1 (SSTIC), “Collaboration in modern services has been the key focus of the SSTIC as this is where Singapore- based companies can contribute positively given our experience in this sector. More importantly, the SSTIC works towards encouraging Singapore-based companies to offer services and solutions that create a specific value add to bring the industry as a whole, to a new level. The company openings I attended today clearly attest to this – they introduce unique, different or new elements to the

1 The SSTIC Advisors are Minister Lim Swee Say and Sichuan Governor Jiang Jufeng, while the Co- Chairmen of SSTIC are Associate Professor Koo Tsai Kee, Minister of State (MOS) for Defence and Sichuan Vice Governor Xiaoxiang.

Nothing in connection with this communication should be regarded as IE Singapore or its employees rendering, or holding out as rendering, auditing, accounting, tax, legal, advisory, consulting or other professional service or advice. This communication is made by IE Singapore and its employees in good faith but without any representation or warranty of any kind as to its completeness, correctness, accuracy, suitability, reliability or otherwise. Neither IE Singapore nor its employees shall be held responsible for any consequence or action arising out of or in connection with the use of the contents of this communication.

IE Media Release 3 Sep 10

community through their services. This additional ‘value proposition’ will become increasingly important as global and local competition intensifies.”

3. Minister Lim is currently in Sichuan on a business mission from 1 – 4 September 2010. Organised by International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, which is also the Singapore secretariat of the SSTIC, the mission delegation comprises 30 representatives from 22 Singapore-based companies. They come from the education and training, infocomm technology, environmental services, infrastructure and tourism sectors. Yesterday, Minister Lim and MOS Koo concluded a meeting with Sichuan Party Secretary Liu Qibao, Sichuan Governor Jiang Jufeng, Chengdu Party Secretary , Sichuan Vice Governor Huang Xiaoxiang and Chengdu Mayor Ge Honglin on the Singapore-Sichuan Hi- Tech Innovation Park project.

4. These are official openings of projects graced by Minister Lim today:

i) Ednovation’s ChildFirst preschool The ChildFirst Pre-school（才儿坊@仁和春天大道）marks Ednovation's first entry into Chengdu. ChildFirst brings to Chengdu a unique, first of its kind services that leverages on the use of state-of-the-art Information Technology (I.T.) for pre- school education.

Firstly, I.T. is used for the teaching of English where it can ensure proper pronunciation and make the English lessons come alive through animation. Furthermore, leveraging on Singapore’s success in bilingual education, ChildFirst’s bilingual programme offers half a day of English everyday to provide an immersive environment to learn English. Secondly, I.T. is integrated with the Theory of Multiple Intelligences 2* (from Professor Howard Gardner of Harvard University) to help each child develop his own unique blend of intelligences to give him confidence and a competitive edge in life. Besides Chengdu, ChildFirst currently has five pre-schools in .

ii) NTUC LearningHub® (LHUB) office In June 2010, LHUB signed a Collaboration Agreement with Sichuan Tianrong Industries Co Ltd, a Chengdu-based vocational training company to jointly offer

2 The Theory of Multiple Intelligences asserts that each person possesses eight types of intelligences: Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Musical, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Spatial, Naturalist, Interpersonal and Intrapersonal.

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IE Media Release 3 Sep 10

vocational courses for undergraduates, adult learners and corporate clients based on curriculum developed using Singapore standards. Such vocational courses are currently not as common in Chengdu, especially those for adult learners. LHUB brings to its partner expertise in training methodology, curriculum development and mass audience course administration that will be customised according to the specific needs of the Chinese clientele. Initial courses in pre-employment skills, English language and service quality will be offered jointly by LHUB and Tianrong Industries. This marks LHUB’s first entry into China.” iii) Yan Dao Jie Primary School in Botanica township The Botanica township （ 卓锦城） is a development by Chengdu Century Development Company (CCDC), a joint venture between Surbana, Keppel Land and Tianlee. Since The Botanica's launch in 2003, CCDC has sold close to 5,800 units, with 75% already handed over. The township would house a total of 9,500 units when fully completed in four years' time.

The Botanica has comprehensive commercial, recreational and educational facilities, including a pre-school (EtonHouse International) and a primary school (Yan Dao Jie Primary School Botanica Branch / 盐道街小学卓锦分校). A second kindergarten is being designed at the moment. In the long term, residents of The Botanica will also enjoy a full suite of education services through a neighbouring secondary school （树德中学）and university （四川师范大学）.

The completion of Yan Dao Jie Primary School Botanica Branch is a significant milestone in the development of The Botanica or Zhuo Jin Cheng. The primary school is a donation by CCDC to the community as part of its corporate social responsibility. The construction cost of RMB 25 million (S$5 million) was fully borne by CCDC as part of its efforts to contribute to the education of the young and to provide enduring value for its residents. Yan Dao Jie was established in 1919 and is among the top five most popular primary schools in Chengdu. In 1976, Yan Dao Jie became the first school in Sichuan province to teach English. As a pioneer in bilingual education, the school was named as “National Experimental Bilingual School” in 2008. In addition, the school also received honours from the Ministry of Education for excellence in art and IT education. The new school can enroll 30 classes with 1,500 students. The children of The Botanica’s residents will have priority admission to the school.

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IE Media Release 3 Sep 10

iv) Somerset Riverview Chengdu by The Ascott Limited Somerset Riverview（成都盛捷江畔服务公寓）is The Ascott Limited’s （雅诗阁有 限公司）first serviced residence in Chengdu, increasing its portfolio in China to over 6,000 apartment units in 33 properties across 15 cities. The property caters to the growing demand from business and leisure travellers for international-class accommodation in Chengdu.

As a Singapore-based company that has become the world’s largest international serviced residence owner-operator, Ascott places great emphasis on staff training and engagement. Ascott inculcates its LIFE values to the company’s employees globally. LIFE, which represents Local Touch, Individuality, Freedom to Breathe and Exceeding Expectations, is a cornerstone of Ascott’s focus on service excellence. LIFE encourages Ascott’s employees worldwide to deliver service from the heart by engaging residents to better understand their individual needs. As part of LIFE, Ascott organises programmes to enable residents to interact with one another and settle in quickly. These programmes include children’s art classes, yoga sessions and a ‘Singapore Food Festival’ which Somerset Riverview has organised for its residents.

v) Yanlord Landmark Yanlord Landmark is Yanlord Land Group’s first venture into a large-scale integrated development with a full commercial shopping mall. Previously, it has always focused on being a high-end residential, hospitality and office space developer. Yanlord Landmark brings a new level of luxury living and work space, integrating a serviced apartment managed by Frasers Hospitality, luxury shopping centre and office building into one. Some of its unique features include: - A maximum waiting time of 27 seconds for the roomy 3-metre high elevators in the office building, compared to the usual waiting time of around two minutes for buildings in Chengdu. - Intelligent parking systems with sensors to highlight unoccupied parking lots, which is the first in Chengdu. - High energy efficiency as it is the first building in West China to integrate heating and cooling systems3 into the core of the building to ensure high quality air.

3 These systems are the central heating and cooling system; ice-storage air conditioning which reduces the fluctuation in energy needs between off-peak and peak electrical usage periods; Variable Air Volume (VAV) air conditioning system which reduces energy consumed by fans and thus the overall cooling energy requirement of the building; and Fresh Air exchange system.

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IE Media Release 3 Sep 10

5. Currently, investments in Sichuan are focused in the areas of education, F&B, retail, real estate and hospitality. IE Singapore has an Overseas Centre in Chengdu and will continue to facilitate companies’ interest to venture into Sichuan. Key opportunities lie in transport & logistics, education, F&B and retail, urban infrastructure, infocomm technology, and banking & finance.

Annex 1: 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 on behalf of SSTIC. For media enquiries, please contact:

In Sichuan: Ms CHENG Kiat Loon Senior Manager, Media and Marketing Communications Corporate Communications Group 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–Sichuan Trade & Investment Committee

The Singapore-Sichuan Trade & Investment Committee (SSTIC) is a bilateral economic framework aimed at strengthening Singapore's economic relations with the Sichuan Province. It was formed in May 1996 and comprises public and private sector members from Singapore and Sichuan.

Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, and Mr Jiang Jufeng, Sichuan Governor, are Advisors to the committee while Associate Professor Koo Tsai Kee, Minister of State for Defence, and Mr Huang Xiaoxiang, Vice Governor, are Co-Chairmen of the SSTIC.

IE Singapore is the Secretariat to the SSTIC in Singapore.

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IE Media Release 3 Sep 10

ANNEX 1

Chinese terms

International Enterprise (IE) Singapore 新加坡国际企业发展局 (简称：企发局) Singapore-Sichuan Trade & Investment 新加坡－四川贸易与投资委员会 Committee Singapore-Sichuan Hi-Tech Innovation 新加坡-四川科技创新园 （新川科技创新 Park 园）

Mr Lim Swee Say 林瑞生先生 Minister, Prime Minister’s Office 新加坡总理公署部长

Advisor 顾问 Singapore-Sichuan Trade & Investment Committee 新加坡－四川贸易与投资委员会 Associate Professor Koo Tsai Kee 顾蔡矶副教授 Minister of State for Defence 新加坡国防部政务部长

Co-Chairman 联合主席 Singapore-Sichuan Trade & Investment Committee 新加坡－四川贸易与投资委员会 Mr Liu Qibao 刘奇葆先生 Sichuan Party Secretary 四川省委书记 Mr Jiang Jufeng 蒋巨峰先生 Sichuan Governor 四川省长

Advisor 顾问 Singapore-Sichuan Trade & Investment Committee 新加坡－四川贸易与投资委员会 Mr Huang Xiaoxiang 黄小祥先生 Sichuan Vice Governor 四川副省长

Co-Chairman 联合主席 Singapore-Sichuan Trade & Investment Committee 新加坡－四川贸易与投资委员会 Mr Li Chuncheng 李春城先生 Chengdu Party Secretary 成都市委书记

Mr Ge Honglin 葛红林先生 Chengdu Mayor 成都市长

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