The 2nd Singapore-China High-Tech Enterprise and Talent Forum convened in Singapore, co-organized by the Asia Academy of Digital Economics (AADE) and the China-Singapore Economic and Cultural Exchange Association. The forum brought together senior officials from Chinese central government agencies, leading semiconductor enterprise executives, and prominent members of the Singapore-China business and academic community to advance substantive dialogue on high-technology industry development, cross-border talent mobility, and bilateral industrial cooperation. Against the backdrop of accelerating technological competition and the growing strategic importance of semiconductor supply chains, the forum served as a timely platform for building bridges between Chinese innovation-driven enterprises and Singapore's international business ecosystem.
Distinguished Participants and Honorary Guests
The forum was honoured by the participation of Dr. Wu Wei, Founding Director of the Nanyang Centre for Public Administration (NCPA) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) — the institution historically known for its flagship "Mayors' Class" programme that has trained thousands of Chinese public administrators — who served as Honorary Guest. Delegates from the Electronic Communications Department of China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and representatives of the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA) attended, underscoring the forum's significance as a channel for official-level industrial policy exchange. The event also welcomed the chairpersons of several of China's leading semiconductor and advanced technology enterprises, including Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC), Chipjet Microelectronics, Nilit Xinchuang, Shijin Technology, and Zhicheng Semiconductor.
Focus: High-Technology Talent and Industrial Cooperation
The forum's discussions centered on three interconnected challenges at the forefront of the China-Singapore technology relationship: cultivating and attracting advanced technology talent in an era of intensifying global competition; facilitating practical industrial docking between Chinese semiconductor enterprises and Singapore's internationally connected business environment; and identifying new models for cross-border cooperation that support both countries' ambitions in digital and advanced manufacturing industries. Participants engaged in frank exchanges on regulatory environments, talent ecosystem development, and the strategic complementarities between China's deep manufacturing base and Singapore's role as a regional innovation and finance hub.
AADE's Convening Role and Broader Significance
As co-organizer, AADE demonstrated its distinctive capacity to convene high-level government, academic, and enterprise stakeholders around the critical questions shaping Asia's digital and industrial future. The forum advanced AADE's core institutional mission of reducing information asymmetry and facilitating meaningful cross-regional connections — moving beyond ceremonial exchange toward substantive, trust-building dialogue among decision-makers. The participation of MIIT officials and enterprise chairpersons from China's semiconductor sector reflected growing recognition of Singapore as both a strategic partner and a credible neutral ground for China's technology industry to engage with international markets and talent pools.
The 2nd Singapore-China High-Tech Enterprise and Talent Forum reinforced AADE's commitment to building the cross-sector partnerships that can drive inclusive and sustainable digital economic development across the region — connecting investment, innovation, and talent in ways that serve the long-term interests of both Singapore and China.