Closer bonds formed at international forum

The Sino-Singapore Knowledge Forum was held in the city-state at the Four Seasons Hotel on Friday, when officials and top executives from both sides signed numerous agreements.

It was the first time that the annual event has been held in Singapore. Previously, it had been hosted in Guangzhou, Guangdong province for the past five years.

As a flagship project of the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, an example of bilateral cooperation, the SSKF is currently the only high-level forum that is now taking turns to be held in China and Singapore, its organizers said.

Themed "forging new frontiers - all-round opening-up and innovation-driven development", this year's forum was designed to tap the collective intelligence of think tanks, experts and business leaders from China and Singapore.

At the event, trending topics were explored during panel discussions regarding future cooperation and development between the two countries, the organizers said.

An estimated 250 guests from Singapore and China attended, following the Singapore-Guangdong Collaboration Council's ninth meeting, which was held the morning of the same day.

A series of agreements were signed during the meeting.

Among them was a memorandum of understanding for the development of an international artificial intelligence innovation center funded by TUS Financial Group from China and Ascendas-Singbridge Group from Singapore.

In response to the Chinese government's drive to create an international industry innovation hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the center is planned to be built at the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City and leverage its research and development resources to achieve breakthroughs in core chip technologies, local officials said.

The Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City is located in the Guangzhou Development District.

The Guangzhou Development District Talent Work Group and the East Asian Institute at National University of Singapore also signed a strategic cooperation agreement during the meeting.

Both parties agreed to enhance connectivity to create an internationally renowned think tank brand together, by pooling the ideas of experts, planning research and holding a series of activities such as forums, meetings and seminars to promote exchanges.

The projects are expected to contribute to the knowledge city's sustainable growth and join its already considerable facilities.

The China National Intellectual Property Administration has established a patent examination cooperation center within the knowledge city. The facility contributed one-fifth of the total number of annual patent examinations processed in China.

In addition, SSGKC is also the first in China to set up a national-level Belt and Road Intellectual Property Services Center.

Together with an IP-dedicated court and provincial centers for IP protection and services, the facilities have helped SSGKC create a comprehensive IP system.