Chongqing - This year is the fourth year that Singapore and Chongqing have hosted the 2023 Smart China Expo (SCE 2023) together. More and more Singaporean companies are using the SCE platform to explore the Chongqing market and look for development opportunities.

Singapore Pavilion officially opened on September 5 with Mr. Tan Kiat How, Singapore Senior Minister of State for Ministry of Communications and Information and Ministry of National Development, standing and cutting the ribbon in the middle. (Photo/Vivian Yan)

“This year, we’ve curated 15 Singapore-based companies to Chongqing to participate in the SCE. We think this is a valuable platform under the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity (CCI), which is a strategic government-to-government initiative between China and Singapore,” said Mr. Tan Kiat How, Singapore Senior Minister of State for Ministry of Communications and Information and Ministry of National Development.

Tan continued that Singaporean companies participating in the SCE will find value in understanding how to enter the Chinese market and join the Chongqing ecosystem and Western China.

“Chongqing is one of the very important industry centers and has many companies and industry leaders,” said Jinsong Xu, Founder and CEO of Innowave Tech, a Singaporean company offering intelligent solutions for the Semiconductor and Advanced Manufacturing industries.” We want to connect with the local industry and the partners participating in the exhibitions.”

“We will be looking at our applications, hardware, and infrastructure support in Chongqing and Singapore, which will allow us to push our business operations further in western China,” said Hinnessy Li, Marketing Specialist at Assurich Group. 

With their resource and connections built in the past 40 years in Southeast Asia (SEA), Assurich Group can utilize an AI-oriented digital platform to allow seamless trade between SEA buyers and Chongqing suppliers of machinery, electric vehicles, and logistic equipment sectors. 

Since the launch of the CCI in 2015, the partnership between Chongqing and Singapore in key areas such as information and communication technology has been continuously strengthened.

In 2019, Singapore and Chongqing jointly established the Singapore-China (Chongqing) ICM Joint Innovation Development Fund (JIDF), aiming to support pioneering projects in the industrial and economic development of the two places, with a total amount of 40 million yuan.

CCI focuses on modern connectivity and services connecting Singapore enterprises to China’s western region and connecting Singapore to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), jointly creating opportunities with Chongqing enterprises in ASEAN markets. This will facilitate physical and digital trade, support data-driven businesses, and develop both countries' vibrant and innovative information and communications technology (ICT) industries.