On March 31, 2017, the CQU-SMU Global Forum co-held by Chongqing University (CQU) and Singapore Management University (SMU) is held at Chongqing University. The Forum is themed “the China-Singapore economic cooperation in the next stage: joint efforts against global challenges”. The Forum is organized by the School of Economics and Business Administration of Chongqing University, with support of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange.
Gan Teng Kiat, Consul General of the Consulate General of Singapore in Chengdu, Professor Lily Kong, Academic Dean of Singapore Management University, Mr. Sheng Ming, Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Y3 Company, and Han Baochang, Director of China-Singapore (Chongqing) Strategic Connectivity Project Management Bureau are invited to the Forum. In addition, politicians and business leaders in Chongqing and Singapore, as well as outstanding scholars of Chongqing University and Singapore Management University are also present at the Forum. The Forum includes themed speeches, round table discussion and match-making negotiation meeting. In-depth discussion is conducted and unique opinions shared regarding the strengthening of China-Singapore economic and trading cooperation in such a global context with limited new challenges and uncertain factors. Professor Yang Dan, Managing Vice President of Chongqing University and Professor Wang Xu, Deputy Secretary of Chongqing University CPC Committee are also present.
Fig. 1 Scene of the Forum
On the morning of March 31, 2017, the Forum is started. Professor Yao Shujie, deputy director of the Faculty of Social Science of Chongqing University presides over the meeting. At first, Yang Dan extends his welcome to all honored guests on behalf of Chongqing University, and expresses his sincere appreciation of the support given by China-Singapore (Chongqing) Strategic Connectivity Project Management Bureau, the active involvement of enterprises, and the efforts made by Singapore Management University in co-holding the Forum with Chongqing University. Yang Dan adds that Chongqing University, as a national key university with profound cultural deposit and extinct school running characteristics is confident in playing a positive role in this third government cooperation project between China and Singapore.
Lily Kong gives a review and prospect on cooperation between CQU and SMU and says that this is the third session of the international forum, which has been co-held in collaboration with Tsinghua University, Fudan University and Sichuan University previously. Now it’s Chongqing University’s turn to co-hold the Forum. Lily Kong expresses her hope for more material cooperation and exchange between the two universities in the future. After that, Gan Teng Kiat, on behalf of the General Consulate of Singapore in Chengdu, extends his congratulations to the Forum, and promises to make efforts in promoting friendly cooperation between Chongqing and Singapore, and contribute to the friendship between the two nations.
Fig. 2 Yang Dan, managing vice president, delivers a speech
At the end of the speech, Yang Dan and Lily Kong sign the strategic cooperation agreement on behalf of the two parties, which indicates the start of the cooperation stage between the two. Wang Xu, on behalf of the Intelligent Logistics Research Center of Chongqing University, signs the three-party cooperation agreement with Singapore Y3 and the Urban Computer Engineering Research Center of Singapore Management University, as commitment to co-building a logistics big-data laboratory integrating application and R&D. In the future, the three parties will have intensive scientific research cooperation and talent cultivation in areas including international logistics, multimodal transport and urban logistics area, in an effort to expedite construction of Chongqing as a leading city in the intelligent big-data technology sector.
Fig. 3 Signing of the memorandum of understanding
Fig. 4 Signing of three-party agreement
Han Baochang delivers a speech themed “actively involving in ‘One Belt and One Road’ and furthering the demonstration project for (Chongqing) strategic interconnectivity between China and Singapore”. In his speech, Han expresses his intention to carry forward the project cooperation between Chongqing University, Singapore Management University and the enterprises in Singapore on the government level. After that, experts present at the Forum deliver speeches themed respectively “innovation cycle time, efficiency and fiscal policy”, “medical care and retirement of senior citizens in Singapore”, “seizing business opportunities in this changing world” and etc. A round table discussion and parallel workshops are also held. At last, the Forum is closed, with satisfying outcomes.
Fig. 5 Director General Han Baochang delivering a themed speech
“CQU-SMU Global Forum” is the third inter-governmental cooperation project in Chongqing between China and Singapore, and also serves as a high-end communication platform as it plays an important role in the “One Belt and One Road” initiative of China. Through brainstorming and active exchange and interaction among professionals in the academic, political and business circles in Chongqing and Singapore, this Forum makes great contribution to the bilateral cooperation and the demonstrative project for strategic interconnectivity of Chongqing.
Attachment: Profile of Singapore Management University
Singapore Management University, or SMU for short, is one of the six public independent universities of Singapore. It is among the top financial colleges in Asia. Now Singapore has 6 public independent universities, namely, University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore Institute of Technology and Singapore Institute of Management University. As with the HELP universities of America, this University also adopts the workshop-type teaching mode prevailing in Ivy League universities. This is because that SMU has maintained close and long-term partnership with two top business colleges, University of Pennsylvania and Wharton School, and Carnegie Mellon University well-known globally for its information technology education and research. SMU was founded in 2000, and it has now become a world-class business management university. It ranks the 40th place among the world famous business colleges of UTD (2016). The Lee Kong Chian Business College and the Economics College of SMU rank the third place in Asia. Its accounting specialty ranks the first place In Asia and the third place in the world (2016). Wealth management, a master’s degree program, ranks the first place in Asia and the third place in the world. In the QS world university discipline ranking of 2015, its accounting and finance specialties ranked the 50th place globally (SMU is a special university, and it is not included in the ranking of comprehensive universities). Eduniversal.com lists SMU as one of the top business colleges in the world. Furthermore, the undergraduates and graduates of Lee Kong Chian Business College and Accounting College will receive certification of EQUIS and AACBS International.
