Having entered the third decade of establishing bilateral relations, China and Singapore have expanded their cooperation into other diverse scopes through mega platforms such as Suzhou Industrial Park and Guangzhou Knowledge City.

Behind all these projects and their positive growth lies the strong efforts paid by both Chinese and Singaporean pioneers that bridge the two countries with their resources and talent. Ang Boon Peng is one of these pioneers working as the Senior Vice President of Strategic Collaboration at China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City Investment and Development Co., Ltd.

Ang Boon Peng was the Education Counsellor of the Singapore Embassy in Beijing, during his tenure he organized lots of study trips to boost exchanges. "People can get a lot of information online and sometimes they think they know everything. But I think the real understanding is when you have the physical interaction. So, it's only during the study trips, I was able to show my Chinese friends around Singapore and vice versa."

(Poster / Mia)

Ang Boon Peng decided to join the Guangzhou Knowledge City project in 2013 when he was ending his position in Beijing. "At that time, I thought I should continue my work instead of returning to Singapore. The Guangzhou Knowledge City is a significant project between two countries in Southern China. It's quite interesting to me because my origin, my forefathers come from Southern China as well."

The Guangzhou Knowledge City has become a model of future city and was included in the development plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Working for the project, Ang continues to push forward exchange activities in a wider range of business sectors. And this year, he and his team have introduced a high-profile school from Singapore, which is expected to add further cooperation and cultural exchanges in the field of education.

"The Guangzhou Knowledge City is like a baby to me because everything you see now was done over the past seven and a half years," said Ang Boon Peng, "being an international platform, the project shows not only how China is working with Singapore but also how China could work with the world. I think to be able to play a part in this development is a very fortunate thing to me."

Author: Keane, Jasmine, Li Jiangrui

Editor: Zhao Yang, Wing, Ou Xiaoming, Jerry