Chongqing - Since its launch in 2019, the China-Singapore (Chongqing) International Dedicated Connectivity (IDC) has become a vital digital link between western China and Southeast Asia, cutting cross-border data latency by more than 70% and accelerating the international expansion of Chongqing-based industries.
Raffles City, a landmark complex resulting from cooperation between Chongqing and Singapore, is located at the Chaotianmen Wharf in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. (Photo/Chongqing Daily)
Approved in February 2019 and officially opened in September of the same year, the channel is China's first "point-to-point" international data link dedicated to a single country. It runs directly from Chongqing through Guangzhou and Hong Kong to Singapore, offering high-speed, high-bandwidth, low-latency, and enhanced reliability.
According to Chongqing Municipal Big Data Application and Development Administration, the system now connects eight industrial parks and serves 48 enterprises engaged in global operations.
Before the project, communication between Chongqing and Singapore suffered delays of up to 230 milliseconds- long enough to disrupt business meetings. Today, latency has been reduced to 60-70 milliseconds. The improvement allows enterprises to conduct cross-border meetings and manage overseas operations seamlessly.
"The latency used to cause long pauses during international conferences," said an official from Chongqing Municipal Big Data Application and Development Administration. "Now, it feels as if everyone is in the same room." The official added that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the channel helped over 300 companies and enabled more than 3,000 cases of cross-border cooperation.
Lew Chuen Hong, CEO of Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), also highlighted the channel's reliability. "It takes five to six hours to fly from Singapore to Chongqing, but through this data channel, we can connect in seconds," Lew said.
The data channel has become a key component of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity (CCI), focusing on financial services, aviation, logistics, and information communication.
For instance, Chongqing-based CISDI has partnered with Singapore's JM VISTEC to use robotic vision systems to automate high-risk tasks in steel production. Chongqing Bashu Middle School and Singapore's ACKTEC have built an online education platform to share teaching resources.
The data channel has proven transformative for manufacturers. Chongqing Dajiang Power Equipment Manufacturing, a subsidiary of Zonshen Power, faced challenges transmitting production data from its Vietnam factory back to headquarters. After connecting to the China-Singapore data channel, the company was able to synchronize data in real time, enabling remote control of production.
"The encrypted transmission ensures data security, and the low latency makes cross-border coordination smooth and reliable," said Feng Lei, deputy manager of Dajiang's digital development department. The company's Vietnam plant now operates 39 production lines with an annual output value of 200 million U.S. dollars, ranking among Vietnam's top power product manufacturers.