Speech by Minister Josephine Teo at the Opening Ceremony of the 4th Edition of the Smart China Expo

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

1. Good morning. I am pleased to join you at the fourth edition of the Smart China Expo, and to meet with good friends again.

2. Let me first congratulate Chongqing on organising this flagship event. COVID-19 has made the switch to digital more urgent, and Chongqing has continued to make progress in using digital technologies to overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic.

· The Chongqing Connectivity Initiative is the third Government-to-Government project between Singapore and China.

· As one of the key drivers of modern connectivity and services, the Information and Communication Technologies sector is one of the CCI’s four pillars.

3. I am glad to see strong participation of over 50 Singapore companies at the SCE Online Exhibition. The theme of the Singapore exhibition, “Building a Digital Future for All”, reflects our joint commitment to foster greater digital collaboration.

4. This afternoon, the Singapore Infocomm Media Development Authority and the Chongqing Big Data Application and Development Administrative Bureau will be organising the International Dedicated Connectivity or IDC Forum.

5. This is part of our joint efforts to promote, raise awareness, and explore new use cases for the IDC, connecting trade and new businesses from Chongqing to Singapore, and linking China’s western region to ASEAN digitally.

6. I am heartened that we have several representatives from China’s western provinces and ASEAN joining us this year, to learn more about the IDC and its benefits.

7. Nine MOUs will be signed between Singapore and Chongqing companies in the areas of 5G, Built Environment, and Smart Healthcare.

8. One of the MOUs is between EyRIS and Aurora International (欧若拉国际贸易).   It is one of several interesting projects supported by our Joint Innovation Development Fund.

9. EyRIS is a Singapore start-up that develops and deploys AI Deep Learning System in the healthcare industry, focusing on the detection of retinal diseases.

10. EyRIS will work with Aurora International to create an improved AI algorithm, uniquely customised to the different ethnic groups across China.  They aim to deploy in the next 12-18 months.

11. I hope that their work will demonstrate the use of technology in healthcare to improve lives, and encourage more innovative cooperation between our companies.

12. Besides improving the delivery of services, digitalisation can also facilitate the trade of physical goods.

13. Last month, Singapore launched the Singapore Trade Data Exchange (新加坡贸易数据共享平台), a common data infrastructure for the supply chain ecosystem.

14. Trade data can now be exchanged easily in a secure environment, improving visibility and operational efficiency, and allowing for innovative financial solutions to be developed.

15. The Singapore Trade Data Exchange can complement our ongoing efforts to digitise trade on the CCI New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, to make it even more resilient and seamless for users.

16. The possibilities offered by the digital revolution are cross-cutting and limited only by our imagination. But for vision to become reality, we will need the collective efforts of individuals, companies, and governments.  Only by working together can we fully unlock the potential of digital technologies.

17. Although many of us are joining the conference virtually, I believe that participants at the Expo will still make the most of this opportunity to network and collaborate.

18. I look forward to meeting our friends physically again when the situation allows.

19. Thank you, and I wish the Smart China Expo every success.