The 2022 Experience Singapore Week kicked off on October 29 in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. It is the first time Chongqing has held Experience Singapore Week activities.

While Chongqing is the operation center of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity (CCI), the cooperation between Chongqing and Singapore has been further enhanced.

Through seven years' implementation of CCI, significant achievements have been made. Data show 218 government and commercial projects and a further 235 in the financial services sector amounting to an actualization of $54.3 billion by this October.

Since the running of an ocean-rail route in the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC) under CCI, 8901 TEUs with a cargo value of 1.35 billion yuan ($186.71 million) have been directed to Singapore.

Singapore increases investment in Chongqing

"Singapore was the largest source of foreign investment in Chongqing last year," according to a representative of the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce. By the end of last year, Singapore had established 354 projects in Chongqing funded with 7.64 billion US dollars, which accounts for 92.46% of ASEAN countries' investment and 68.57% of that of RCEP countries.

In 2018, Raffles Hospital was unveiled in Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, becoming the first international complex hospital that Raffles Group had positioned in China.

The Chongqing Sino-Singapore Cancer Center opened in Chongqing Yongchuan this July. The medical establishment is the first non-profit Chinese-foreign joint venture in Chongqing.

On October 28, the Sino-Singapore Maylook Eye Hospital was put into operation in Liangjiang New Area. Through bringing in world-class facilities, talents and managements, the hospital provides folks with outstanding technology and service. "It will promote cooperation between China and Singapore in the field of ophthalmology and optometry," said Ye Jian, the academic leader of the Chongqing Ophthalmology Sector and a member of the Chinese Ophthalmological Society.

Besides medical cooperation, CCI is making efforts to expand the cooperation to cover commerce, agriculture, talent training, culture and tourism, and to further absorb investment from Singapore.

Raffles Hospital. [Photo/Liangjiang New Area Media Center]

Chongqing enterprises benefit from CCI

In March 2018, SASSEUR, a large international chain group in Chongqing, was successfully listed in Singapore. This is the first outlet mall REIT in Asia and is listed in SGX as a financial demonstrative project of CCI.

Another Chongqing enterprise, Born Group, has set up a branch in Singapore, and obtained a remittance license to conduct payment business, which will assist Chongqing enterprises in getting financial licenses in Singapore.

SASSEUR Outlets. [Photo provided to english.liangjiang.gov.cn]

As described by Zeng Jinghua, the director of the Administrative Bureau of CCI, with the deepening of CCI the cooperation between Chongqing and Singapore will be closer and closer. "CCI is deemed a successful case of the Belt and Road as well as a high-quality development," she added.