22 October 2013 - Singapore and China embark on a new 'Smart City Twinning' initiative today, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Strategic Collaboration on Smart City Development between the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), International Enterprise (IE) Singapore and Suzhou Industrial Park Administrative Committee (SIPAC).
Singapore / China, 22 October 2013 | For Immediate Release
Singapore and China embark on a new 'Smart City Twinning' initiative today, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Strategic Collaboration on Smart City Development between the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), International Enterprise (IE) Singapore and Suzhou Industrial Park Administrative Committee (SIPAC). The signing ceremony was held at the 10th Sino-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meeting and witnessed by Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and China's Executive Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli.
The Sino-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) is one of the pioneers in smart city building with a reputation for openness to change and innovation as its key engine for growth, making it an attractive city to pilot and trial smart and sustainable solutions. Under the twinning smart city partnership, IDA, IE Singapore and SIPAC will identify a suitable district in Singapore and SIP for pilots and trials of smart cities. An open and innovative procurement model such as Singapore's "Call for Collaboration" methodology will be adopted, providing Singaporean and Chinese enterprises a platform to demonstrate their capabilities in smart city technology. Governments of both countries will also have the opportunity to test out these innovative solutions before considering them for deployment in other cities or districts.
Mr Steve Leonard, Executive Deputy Chairman of IDA, said: "Singapore and China share a common vision of developing 'smart' cities that are great places to work and to live. Information Technology is the backbone of any smart city, and the amount of data being created every day continues to explode. As a result, it becomes even more critical that we focus on innovations in how we Capture, Move and Interpret that data in ways that allow us to improve the lives of our citizens. I am delighted that we can work with SIPAC to identify opportunities that build on the experience of our local companies to further develop the Suzhou Industrial Park. Through the 'twinning' approach between Singapore and Suzhou Industrial Park, IDA looks forward to inspiring our local 'tech talent' to tackle important issues on a different scale."
The signing of the MOU opens up more direct opportunities for both infocomm industries to collaborate in Singapore and China's smart city development. Local enterprises in different sectors can look forward to collaboration opportunities in Intelligent Transport, Smart Education and Smart Environment Management. Other areas of cooperation in the application of advanced technologies, including Cloud Computing, Mobile Internet and the 'Internet of Things' for smart city building, will also be accelerated. This joint collaboration will build a collection of leading and unique solutions that can be showcased to other cities in China.
Mr Yew Sung Pei, Assistant Chief Executive Officer of IE Singapore, said: "19 years into the partnership with China, Singapore continues to fine-tune our value proposition and relevance to the development of SIP. China's latest plan to develop over 190 smart city pilots will bring immense opportunities to Singapore companies to provide solutions for wide-ranging sectors such as transport, education, environment, e-government and healthcare. With SIP's conducive environment and Singapore's track record in this area, we are confident that this collaboration will become a leading showcase for advanced smart city solutions in China."
The MOU also covers mutual sharing of ideas and solutions, as well as nurturing networks of expertise through the organisation of joint smart city forums, business-matching events and networking sessions for infocomm professionals.
With the support of the Chinese and Singapore governments, the development of the SIP has witnessed remarkable smart city progress and has grown to become a success story of the Sino-Singapore mutually-beneficial cooperation model. The signing of the MOU further deepens the close and longstanding relationship between Singapore and China in smart city collaboration, through information technology.
Mr Barry Yang, Chairman of SIPAC, said: "SIP is excited to have been chosen as a pilot Smart City by the Ministry of Housing and Rural-Urban Development (MOHURD). Since SIPAC identified 'Informatisation' as an enabler in achieving modernisation in 2008, we have put in place a series of initiatives to bring SIP to the forefront of smart city development in China. We look forward to partnering Singapore in further developing innovative solutions and piloting them through the proposed 'Twinning' initiative."
The MOU was signed by Mr Andrew Khaw, Senior Director, Industry Development Group of IDA, Mr Yew Sung Pei, Assistant Chief Executive Officer of IE Singapore and Mr Barry Yang, Chairman of SIPAC.
JOINTLY ISSUED BY INFOCOMM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE AND
INTERNATIONAL ENTERPRISE SINGAPORE
About Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
The mission of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is to develop information technology and telecommunications within Singapore with a view to serve citizens of all ages and companies of all sizes. IDA does this by actively supporting the growth of innovative technology companies and start-ups in Singapore, working with leading global IT companies as well as developing excellent information technology and telecommunications infrastructure, policies and capabilities for Singapore. For more news and information, visit www.ida.gov.sg.
About International Enterprise Singapore
International Enterprise (IE) Singapore is the government agency driving Singapore's external economy. For the past 30 years, we have been spearheading the overseas growth of Singapore-based companies and promoting international trade. Our vision is a thriving business hub in Singapore with Globally Competitive Companies (GCCs) and leading international traders.
IE Singapore attracts global commodities traders to establish their home base in Singapore. Today, Singapore is a thriving trading hub for the energy, agri-commodities and metals & minerals trading clusters.
Through our Global Company Partnership and Market Readiness Assistance, we work with Singapore-based companies to customise total solutions in capability building, market access and financing for their internationalisation.
Our global network of overseas centres in over 35 locations provides the necessary connections in many developed and emerging markets.
Visit www.iesingapore.com for more information.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Teresa Tan (Ms)
Manager, Corporate and Marketing Communication
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
Tel: +65 6211 1745 | +65 9661 4836
Email: teresa_tan@imda.gov.sg
Tan Sock Gim (Ms)
Manager, Corporate and Marketing Communication
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
Tel: +65 6211 1350
Email: tan_sock_gim@imda.gov.sg
Aw Xiuxing (Ms)
Senior Manager (Media), Corporate Communications Group
International Enterprise (IE) Singapore
Tel: + 65 9155 0433
Email: aw_xiuxing@iesingapore.gov.sg
.webp)