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

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 and development opportunities to the visiting Singaporean delegation.

Andrew Chin, lead professor of the internationalization program at SUTD 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 (BCA), also delivered remarks. Both expressed strong interest in deepening ties and exploring future collaborations between the two sides.

“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 companies and organizations spanning both the private and public sectors,” said Heng. “Singapore, being a small country with limited resources, is always on the lookout for innovative technologies. That’s why we’re here,” he added.

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., gave a brief introduction of her company. 

Speaking to Shenzhen Daily later, she 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.”

The event served as a platform for dialogue and exchange between Singapore and Longhua District, paving the way for deeper cooperation in areas such as architectural design and injecting fresh momentum into the economic and social development of both regions.