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Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China,
Shanghai Municipal People’s Government,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

1.     Thank you for inviting me to address the North Bund Forum 2023.

2.     Singapore and China enjoy strong bilateral relations at all levels, with multiple collaborations on many fronts. In April, we upgraded our partnership to an “All-Round High-Quality Future Oriented Partnership”, setting the stage for further co-operation between our two countries.

3.     The Forum’s theme of “Openness, Co-operation and Innovation: Co-building a New Landscape of Global Shipping and Aviation” is therefore timely and appropriate.

4.     Openness enables us to come together to share best practices, develop innovative solutions, and discover new possibilities. Our maritime and aviation industries must continue to remain open to new ideas and talent, governed by the multilateral rules of the International Maritime Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization to ensure safety and accessibility for all stakeholders.

5.     The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding on information exchange and cooperation with the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission to foster mutual learning and co-develop solutions, such as in digitalisation and decarbonisation for shipping and port development.

6.     To turn ideas into outcomes, we will need the collective efforts and co-operation between governments, industry and unions.

7.     For example, the close co-operation between our respective aviation authorities has enabled air connectivity between Singapore and China to recover to 75% of pre-COVID levels, or 300 weekly services between Singapore and 25 Chinese cities. There is strong demand from airlines to restore or even exceed pre-COVID levels for the upcoming Northern Winter airline season. We will continue to work closely with our Chinese counterparts to restore air connectivity between Singapore and China.

8.     The strong tripartite partnerships between Government, industry, and unions in Singapore have also allowed us to keep our air and sea hubs connected to the world throughout the pandemic, while keeping our workers and society safe. For example, the Shipping Tripartite Alliance Resilience led by the Singapore Shipping Association, the Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union, the Singapore Organisation of Seamen, the International Transport Workers’ Federation, and the International Maritime Employers’ Council, facilitated crew changes and offered vaccinations to foreign sea crew. This enabled global shipping to continue operating during the pandemic to keep international trade and supply chains going. We thank our industry and union partners for their trust and support, and this partnership has allowed Singapore to survive the COVID-19 crisis and emerge stronger from the pandemic.

9.     Lastly, I would like to talk about the importance of innovation. The IMO and ICAO have set ambitious decarbonisation targets. To achieve these targets, we need to have innovation in technologies, processes and practices. For example, we conducted the world’s first ship-to-ship methanol bunkering in Singapore this July. We are also exploring the use of other cleaner fuels for bunkering, such as ammonia, hydrogen and biofuels.

10.    Innovation in business models can also improve efficiency of flight operations. In 2021, Singapore Airlines, the General Administration of Customs China, and Chongqing Customs came together to trial and later establish an innovative import and distribution mechanism in April 2022. This allows for more efficient distribution of aircraft spares across customs areas. The Singapore Airlines Aircraft Spares Bonded Distribution Centre in Chongqing, which is part of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity, is the first of its kind in China under a customs supervision model. I hope this arrangement can scale up to other Provinces in China.

11.    Harnessing innovation in digitalisation can also improve shipping and port efficiency. MPA and the China Maritime Safety Administration signed an MOU to promote the issuance, usage and acceptance of electronic certificates of ships and crew. These certificates improve port clearance efficiency and reduce administrative burden on shipping companies.

12.    I wish all of you fruitful discussions over the next two days, and convey my congratulations and best wishes to the Ministry of Transport of the Peoples’ Republic of China and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government on a successful North Bund Forum.

13.    Thank you.