The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) - Shenzhen (Longhua) Business Networking event was held at the Longhua International Cooperation Center (LICC) in Longhua District on July 15.

Co-hosted by SUTD, the S.M.A.R.T Entrepreneurship Club, the Singapore South China Business Association, and the Guangdong High-Tech Industry Chamber, the event aimed to foster exchanges and collaboration between Singapore and Longhua District in key emerging industries.

The event began with a welcome address by Wang Dianjia, deputy head of Longhua District, who highlighted the district’s strengths.

Andrew Chin, lead professor of SUTD’s internationalization program and secretary-general of the S.M.A.R.T Entrepreneurship Club, and Heng Teck Thai, deputy chief executive officer of Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority, expressed strong interest in deepening ties and exploring future collaborations between the two sides.

Justin Low, chairman of the Singapore South China Business Association, speaks during the Singapore University of Technology and Design - Shenzhen (Longhua) Business Networking event held at the Longhua International Cooperation Center (LICC) in Longhua District on Tuesday. Courtesy of LICC

“We hope to discover technologies and innovations in Shenzhen that could be brought back to Singapore,” said Chin. “We also encourage everyone here to engage actively and, ideally, return to Singapore with at least one promising idea,” he noted.

“We’ve brought about 25 participants — leaders from approximately 20 firms and organizations,” said Heng. “Singapore, being a small country with limited resources, is always on the lookout for innovative technologies.”

During an interview before the event, Justin Low, chairman of Singapore South China Business Association, told Shenzhen Daily that the association has been committed to facilitating business connections between Shenzhen and Singapore.

“We already have ongoing projects between the two sides in areas such as the digital economy, green industries, AI, and biomedicine,” Low said. “Through this event, we hope to help even more Singaporean companies connect with local partners and kick off initial collaborations.”

The final part of the event featured representatives from Shenzhen’s architecture and design sector, who shared their experiences and achievements in urban development and design innovation.

Zhang Yao, marketing director of Shenzhen Heiman Technology Co. Ltd., shared, “We’ve been conducting market research in Singapore and have solutions tailored for East Asian markets. But compared to our reach in North America and Europe, we still need to do more to establish ourselves in Singapore. Today’s event gave us valuable connections and insights.”