Chongqing- The inaugural meeting of China Singapore (Chongqing) International Engineering Consultants Alliance was held on October 9.

The Alliance has gathered 20 enterprises in the fields of engineering design and consulting general contracting, science, technology, and accountancy. The three Singaporean enterprises include Surbana Jurong Group, while the other 17 Chinese enterprises feature Chongqing Design Group and Lin Tongyan International.

Participating organizations will be committed to building platforms for RCEP design consultation and trade services, think tanks, and digital intelligence in preparation for an upcoming annual RCEP Design Consulting Summit Forum, which aims to promote the development of the Belt and Road and infrastructure among RCEP nations.

Chongqing and Singapore to form 'dual hub'

Zeng Jinghua, Director of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity Administrative Bureau, stated in the opening speech that the establishment of the Alliance would provide new space for cooperation and create new development opportunities.

Resources will be shared, and advantages strengthened to form a mutually complementary state of affairs. Third-party markets will be developed together, while point-to-point cooperation between Singapore and Chongqing will be deepened to serve better the Belt and Road and infrastructure construction in RCEP countries and regions.

Song Gang, Deputy Director of the Municipal Commission of Commerce, stated that every effort would be made to serve the enterprises of China and Singapore and carry out a series of promotional activities for foreign investment centered on regional cooperation, such as RCEP and the China EU Investment Agreement.

Ties with financial institutions are to be strengthened, and financing channels for enterprises are to see expansion. In addition, there will also be increased policy support for the import and export of technology, standardized certification, and international exhibitions organized for consulting services between China and Singapore in the field of engineering design.

Chongqing and Singapore will serve as dual hubs facing ASEAN and the world and will boost high-quality development in the service trade industry of Chongqing.

Yang Zhihong, Deputy Director of the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, expressed hope the Alliance can play a leading role in design consulting enterprises in Chongqing and Singapore and improve overall connectivity through resource sharing and complementary advantages.

The Alliance is expected to actively promote industry cooperation by building platforms for RCEP design consultation and trade services, a think tank for exchange, and cooperation in politics, industry, and education. Additionally, they will hold an annual RCEP design consulting summit, build infrastructure for a cooperation platform in digital intelligence, and jointly construct a smart city of the future.

Yang Jin, CEO of Lin Tongyan International (China), introduced how the Alliance will focus on infrastructure construction in China, Singapore, and even Southeast Asia.

A new platform for opening up and cooperation will be built to cultivate sources of growth, along with new channels of collaboration between China and Singapore in various fields to promote the upgrade of traditional business infrastructure.

New impetus will be added to the engineering consultation industry to promote high-quality development and digital transformation, while a new starting point for extensive international cooperation will be set up to lead the growth of trade worldwide.

Deep cooperation in smoothening RCEP implementation

Following the establishment of the Alliance, support will be provided for members to hold third-party market cooperation with ASEAN, encourage active participation in the construction of infrastructure, and explore ways to resolve sore points caused by differing standards in business culture and policies.

Institutional obstacles encountered in cooperation mechanisms and talent flows are to be resolved, while open channels for cooperation in an engineering design consulting, business sharing, talent, and technology are to be set up, which will lead to deepened cooperation in the service trade industry with ASEAN and create a highland for a foreign design consultation.

According to the development needs of the cooperation project, Singapore and Chongqing will mutually dispatch design engineers to hold exchanges in field studies. They will participate in and provide online + offline consulting and design services.

Think tank scholars will receive active support to carry out industrial policy research in RCEP countries to assist the project's smooth implementation. Design consulting enterprises between Chongqing and Singapore will be selected as internship bases, and deep cooperation between first-rate universities will be held for project research, while the Singapore (Chongqing) Youth Talent Station will guide student exchange between the two locations.

The functions offered by constructing the 'Digital Chongqing' cloud platform and a national integrated big data center and Western Data Trading Center will be combined, as a future smart city pilot zone is jointly created with Singapore.

Such developments will promote the construction and operations of a China Singapore digital smart city, upgrade functions for a new smart city operations management center, build key application scenarios for smart cities and international data channels, promote the demonstration of 5g integrated applications, and expand intelligent applications for smart government, transportation, medical treatment, and tourism.

Summit combines RCEP and sustainable development

The fourth Sustainable Landscape City International Development Forum and first RCEP Design and Consultation Industry Summit will be held in Chongqing on October 13 this year.

As a result, the Alliance plans to invite government agencies from China and Singapore, representatives of relevant industries, and experts from ASEAN countries to participate in the summit each year, as they seek to build a joint platform for policy suggestions and promote connectivity, cooperation, and high-quality urban development in RCEP countries.