SM Goh Chok Tong at the Signing and Groundbreaking Ceremony of the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City

It gives me great pleasure to be here to witness the groundbreaking ceremony of the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City project. When Party Secretary Wang Yang invited Singapore to build a Knowledge City in Guangzhou last year, I had wondered how Singapore could contribute, given that Guangzhou was already a well-developed city. But the joint study by Singbridge and Guangzhou Development District has concluded that the project is commercially viable and will play a part in Guangdong’s future development. As Minister Lui Tuck Yew has already elaborated on this earlier, I will not repeat them here. Suffice to say that I am pleased that this project is now ready to move on to the next stage. Instead, I would like to set this Knowledge City project against the larger context of Singapore-China cooperation.

Singapore-China bilateral relations go back a long way, in fact, well before we established diplomatic ties in 1990. We believe that a strong and economically successful China is good for Singapore and the region. A key anchor of our bilateral relationship is our robust economic ties, like our strong trade and investment links. The Singapore-China Free Trade Agreement, which came into force last year, will take our economic ties to a new level.

China has emerged stronger after the global financial crisis and achieved a remarkable growth rate of 8.7% last year. As China’s top performing provincial economy for the past 20 years and its traditional test-bed for new ideas, Guangdong will continue to play a crucial role as a key engine of growth in the Chinese economy. With the Pearl River Delta (PRD) becoming the focus of China’s future economic development, Guangdong is in an excellent position to remain the driving force of China’s economy.

Going forward, Guangdong is restructuring its economy and pursuing new growth strategies. Party Secretary Wang Yang wants Guangdong to become “the first and best” province (首善之区) in China and has advocated “emancipation of the mind” (思想解放) to re-invent Guangdong’s economy. I am confident that under his energetic leadership, Guangdong will achieve its objectives. We appreciate your confidence in us that we can contribute to Guangdong’s effort to restructure its economy. We shall do our best to share our experience and grow with you.

Singapore-Guangdong relations already have a strong economic and cultural foundation. Guangdong is Singapore’s second largest investment destination and top trading partner in China. Beyond the economic sphere, the relationship between Singapore and Guangdong is underpinned by kinship and the affinity we share for the local dialect and cuisine. Many Singaporeans can trace their ancestral homes back to Guangdong. Singapore and Guangdong are also connected by many people-to-people exchanges and frequent high-level visits. For example, Party Secretary Wang visited Singapore in 2008 and PM Lee Hsien Loong visited Guangdong in 2006.

Today, I am pleased to co-officiate the groundbreaking and witness the signing ceremony of the commercial agreement of Knowledge City with Party Secretary Wang. The Knowledge City, a joint large scale project between Singbridge International and the Guangzhou Development District, enjoys the strong support of both the Singapore government and the Guangdong provincial government. It is positioned as a model and catalyst for the economic upgrading and environmental transformation of Guangdong province.

I believe the Knowledge City marks a new high in the mutually beneficial relationship between Singapore and Guangdong. I am confident of its strategic contribution to Guangdong’s next phase of economic development.

Thank you.