Speeches
Speech by Minister Chan Chun Sing at the 10th Singapore-China Forum on Leadership
18 November 2025
Keynote Speech by Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Mr Chan Chun Sing at the 10th Singapore-China Forum on Leadership
“Transformative Leadership in Times of Great Change”
Your Excellency Shi Taifeng
Minister of the CPC Central Committee Organization Department
Your Excellency Huang Jianfa
Executive Vice Minister of the CPC Central Committee Organization Department
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, old friends, good friends, colleagues
Introduction
Very good morning to all of you. It’s my pleasure to extend a warm welcome to Minister Shi, Executive Vice Minister Huang, and our Chinese friends to the 10th Singapore-China Forum on Leadership. This year's Forum holds special significance as it coincides with the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore. It is also the milestone 10th edition of the Forum.
As the Chinese saying goes, 相知无远近，万里尚为邻; distance is immaterial when you have a friend who understands you. For the past 35 years, though separated by thousands of miles, China and Singapore have been steady partners through storm and calm.
Common Interests
Through the decades, China and Singapore have treated each other with respect and equality, acted with candour and sincerity, and stood by each other through changing times.
We have established multiple high-level inter-governmental platforms that deepen trust among our leaders and officials — from the apex Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), the Social Governance Forum (SGF), today’s Forum on Leadership, and various other government-to-government projects and business forums.
Our Leadership Forum journey began in 2009 in Pudong, focused on "Leadership Selection and Development". Since then, it has expanded to new frontiers — from the 3rd Forum in Beijing on "Leadership in the Age of New Media" to the 5th Forum in Jinggangshan on "Forging Consensus with our People and Building National Unity". Even during COVID-19, we persisted, holding the 8th Forum virtually in 2021. Through nine Forums, we have exchanged ideas, innovations, and insights that have shaped both our nations. This itself embodies transformative leadership that is patient, persistent, and purposeful. This Forum is most unique in allowing us to exchange views frankly, openly and in confidence on the most pressing leadership challenges of the day.
Today's 10th Forum, with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) we will be signing, marks yet another milestone in our cooperation.
The trust built up over the years is not superficial — it has been built project by project, through crisis by crisis and, most importantly, person by person. Like the roots of a great tree, it provides us with the stability to weather storms. It is this leadership-driven mutual trust that has kept our relations steady — a true anchor of stability in the region and beyond. It is also a true anchor of stability in times of great unknowns.
Shared Challenges
It is also this trust that has allowed the Singapore-China partnership to flourish, as we share a forward-looking, long-term, and pragmatic approach to cooperation. It is an evolving relationship that keeps pace with the needs of our times.
Economically, at the start of our ties, bilateral trade was less than US$3 billion. Today, it has exceeded US$100 billion — many times more than what we started with.
From the Suzhou Industrial Park in 1994 to the Tianjin Eco-City in 2008, from the Guangzhou Knowledge City in 2010 to the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative in 2015, our projects have blossomed and borne fruit — as shining examples of consultation, collaboration, and shared success.
We have also maintained close exchanges culturally. The profound and extensive heritage of Chinese culture needs no elaboration, while Singapore’s local culture — which harmoniously blends multiple traditions — possesses a unique charm of our own. In recent years, whether it is acclaimed Chinese artistic performances staged in Singapore, or the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and National Gallery Singapore touring and exhibiting in China, such exchanges have enriched the cultural ties between our nations and deepened our mutual understanding and appreciation of each other’s cultures.
Such connection gives institutional cooperation warmth and meaning. Where there is culture, there is understanding; where there is understanding, there is resilience.
In technology and innovation, we have collaborated on drivers for future growth. Our research partnerships have grown. Our universities have established joint research institutes and programmes, such as the China-Singapore International Joint Research Institute in Guangzhou. To support the green transition, we have a Singapore-China Green Finance Taskforce that looks at ways we can jointly develop our green finance sector.
Through technology, our collaboration has evolved from manufacturing to intelligent creation, from importing know-how to co-innovation.
Together, we can achieve more. In times of great disruptive technological changes, there are both challenges and opportunities. We will discuss more in the sub-themes later.
Shared Challenges
Today, the global system is under unprecedented strain. In this environment, it is all the more important for countries like Singapore and China to work together to benefit both our peoples and the region.
On trade, we have doubled down on regional economic integration, with efforts such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the recent third upgrade of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA). As China President Xi Jinping said at the recent APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, 越是风高浪急，越要同舟共济 – the rougher the seas, the more we must pull together. Together, we can unlock new opportunities for regional development despite broader external uncertainties.
There is also space for us to collaborate further in addressing some of the most pressing global challenges – such as climate change, food security, and the fast-evolving digital economy. In line with this, our countries signed an MOU to launch a Third Country Training Programme recently, which will see both sides work together on capacity building in Southeast Asia, on issues such as clean energy and climate resilience.
Looking ahead, we should be builders of peace and stability, drivers of openness and innovation, and bridges for mutual understanding.
Shared Challenges
This year's Forum theme — "Transformative Leadership in Times of Great Change" — is timely. The world today stands at an inflection point. We face what I call the "Three Great Changes" that are reshaping how we govern, how we grow, and how we live together. We must build on our partnership to shape trends, seize opportunities, and forge new paths forward.
(A) Geopolitical Competition
We are witnessing unprecedented shifts in global power dynamics. Beyond great power rivalries, we face something more fundamental — a crisis of confidence in the institutions that have underpinned international order for decades.
From the United Nations (UN) to the World Trade Organization (WTO), from regional security arrangements to multilateral treaties, institutions once commanding respect and compliance are increasingly seen as ineffective, outdated, or irrelevant. If so, nations turn inward, questioning whether global governance serves their interests or constrains their sovereignty. And when countries lose confidence in international institutions, they will be tempted to take things into their own hands, and we will be all the poorer for it.
This erosion of faith in multilateralism does not happen in isolation. When the UN Security Council cannot prevent conflicts, when trade disputes bypass the WTO, when climate agreements lack enforcement mechanisms — people lose faith not just in these institutions, but in the very idea that nations can work together to solve shared problems.
The danger lies not merely in competition between nations, but in the wholesale abandonment of cooperative frameworks. When nations retreat into silos, when supply chains become weapons, when cooperation becomes a casualty of rivalry — we all lose.
And sometimes, it bears remembering this saying, "赢了场面，输了人面；得了风光，失了心房" True leaders understand that short-term victories at the cost of long-term trust ultimately become defeats. Surface glory that loses hearts ultimately becomes emptiness. What we must do is not just to win momentary applause, but to win hearts for a lifetime.
Instead of turning inwards, we must continue to find common ground, keeping our societies and economies open to international cooperation with all partners, within a multilateral framework undergirded by the respect for international law and adherence to the UN Charter. Through consultation and collaboration, we can jointly safeguard regional peace and stability and strengthen global governance resilience. Like Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin, if like-minded countries everywhere do our part, then collectively, we can make a difference.
(B) Technological Disruptions
Technological revolutions in AI, big data, quantum technology, and 5G networks are reshaping industries, economies, and societies with extraordinary speed and breadth.
Emerging technologies not only improve efficiency but create opportunities to leapfrog their development. AI optimises production, enhances decision-making, and accelerates innovation cycles. Blockchain and digital platforms increase transparency, build trust, and facilitate trade. Quantum computing and advanced communications open new industries, models, and markets.
Singapore and China have historically benefited from fewer legacy systems and stronger adaptability, enabling rapid deployment of new technologies to generate innovation dividends. However, as technology permeates all sectors, we face new challenges: system integration, data security, ethical norms, and talent capacity.
We must strengthen R&D, align standards, guide policies, and cultivate talent, so that we can explore models of innovation-driven growth that maximise technology's benefits while improving governance efficiency and making economic development more resilient and forward-looking.
We can also jointly work together to develop guardrails to ensure that new technologies, like AI, truly serve and complement human endeavours, while reassuring our people that everyone can keep pace with and benefit from this development.
Looking ahead, with China's development and implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan, our bilateral cooperation will enter a new period of opportunities. Singapore looks forward to our continued partnership with China in this new phase of development.
(C) Diverse Aspirations
Around the world, we see societies fracturing along lines of inequality, ideology, and identity. Economic growth has not always translated into shared prosperity. Technology has connected us globally while sometimes dividing us locally. Trust in institutions wavers as people feel left behind by the pace of change.
From developed to developing nations, we've witnessed how underlying economic insecurities manifest as social divisions. When people lose faith in the future, when they feel unheard, when they believe the system is stacked against them — societies become vulnerable to populism, polarisation, and paralysis.
In China and Singapore, this compounds with our rapidly ageing populations. In Singapore, our support ratio has dropped from 6 working-age persons per senior in 2014 to 3.3 today, heading toward 2.7 by 2030.
These are not merely statistical shifts — they represent fundamental transformation of our social and economic fabric. Demographic dividends are diminishing while pressures on eldercare, healthcare, workforce replacement, and social protection rise.
We cannot govern by catering only to silver generations, or any particular segment of the population, as this alienates the other segments of society, such as younger generations who are custodians of today's leadership legacy. Meanwhile, our younger generations are starting from more affluent bases and may focus more on passions than immediate economic contributions. More are choosing to marry later, or not marry at all. More are having children later. It will also have implications on how we take care of one another in society.
We must listen to people, respond to expectations, and harness collective wisdom. Through policy innovation, skills training, health management, and improved eldercare, we can transform demographic dividends into knowledge dividends and ageing challenges into development opportunities.
Conclusion
The choice before us is clear. We can be leaders who retreat into familiar comfort zones, or leaders who embrace transformation's promise. We can build walls or bridges. We can rule through fear or inspire through hope. We can govern for ourselves or serve for posterity.
Singapore and China have chosen our path. We choose cooperation over confrontation, inclusion over isolation, integrity over expediency. Most importantly, we choose to lead not because we must, but because we can make a difference.
Leadership isn't about being right all the time — it's about doing right all the time by our people, for our people. It's not about having all the answers — it's about asking the right questions and seeking the answers collectively. It's not about being the strongest or loudest voice in the room — it's about amplifying voices that need to be heard.
"成功不必在我，成功必定有我" — success need not be attributed to me, but success must have my contribution. This is the spirit we must embrace: leaders who plant trees knowing they may never sit in their shade; leaders who build foundations knowing others will benefit from the buildings.
Let us be the generation of leaders who turned the age of anxiety into the age of possibility. Let us be remembered not for the power we held, but for the hope we kindled.
Minister Josephine Teo will elaborate on the common challenges we face and the opportunities for collaboration to better the lives of our citizens. The sub-themes will explore how we cultivate partnerships for high-quality development, build a shared future with our people, and develop future-oriented leaders grounded in values. I look forward to learning from our Chinese colleagues and to the rich discussions that will shape our shared tomorrow.
Let us hold firm to our original aspiration, move forward together, and steer the ship of Singapore-China friendship through all winds and waves — toward a future of peace, stability, prosperity, and harmony in Asia.
Thank you.
新加坡国公共服务统筹部长兼主管公共服务署部长陈振声于2025年11月18日 第十届中国-新加坡领导力论坛的主旨演讲
“大变局时代下的领导力建设”
尊敬的中共中央组织部部长石泰峰阁下
尊敬的中共中央组织部分管日常工作副部长黄建发阁下
各位嘉宾、先生女士们、老朋友、好朋友：
1. 大家早上好！我谨代表新加坡政府和人民，热烈欢迎两位和中国同僚出席第十届新加坡—中国领导力论坛。今年除了是中新两国建交35周年，也是这项论坛步入第十届的里程碑，因此深具意义。
2. 古人说：“相知无远近，万里尚为邻。”这句话贴切地形容了新加坡和中国之间的关系。我们虽远隔千里，这些年来却能够相识相知，双边关系也在风雨中 稳步前进。无论顺境或逆境，我们始终并肩同行，稳步前进并肩同行。
互信互敬
3. 这些年，新加坡与中国一直秉持着互信互敬、坦相待的精神，精诚合作，共谋发展。这让我们的友谊经得起世事变化的考验。
4. 我们所设立的多个高级别政府间平台，增进了两国领导人及官员之间的互信。这包括最高级别的新中双边合作联合委员会、新中社会治理高层论坛，以及今日的新中领导力论坛和其他政府间合作项目和商业论坛。
5. 2009年，以“领导人才选拔与培养”为主题的首届领导力论坛在上海浦东举行。此后，每届论坛的主题不断拓展到新领域，例如第三届北京论坛的“新媒体时代的领导力”，以及第五届井冈山论坛的“凝聚民心共识，共筑国家团结”。即便是在冠病疫情期间，我们仍坚持举办线上论坛。历经九届论坛，我很高兴能一直与中方开诚布公地交流心得、碰撞思想 ，共同探讨最为迫切的领导挑战。论坛本身的发展，也凸显了变革型领导力所需具备的耐心、毅力和远见。
6. 今天举办的第十届论坛，以及我们即将签署的谅解备忘录，更标志着新中合作步入了新的里程碑。
7. 滴水穿石，非一日之功。高度互信的关系，不是短时间就能建立的。这些年来，我们联手开展了一个又一个项目、克服了一次又一次挑战，更重要的是，经过了许许多多人的努力，才一点一滴，一步一脚印，将彼此之间的信任和默契建立起来。有了这个牢固的根基，新中关系才经得起风吹雨打，并成为维护区域以及区域以外的和平与繁荣的稳定力量，成为变革时代真正的稳定支柱。
携手同行
8. 新加坡和中国的伙伴关系得以蓬勃发展，正是基于这份信任，因为双方都秉持面向未来、目光长远和讲求务实的合作态度。这也是一段经得起时代发展和需求、与时并进的关系。
9. 在经济方面，两国贸易额自建交以来，从当初的不到30亿美元，增至今日的一千多亿美元，已翻了数倍。
10. 从1994年的苏州工业园区到2007年的天津生态城，再从2010年的广州知识城到2015年的（重庆）战略性互联互通示范项目，两国之间的各项合作已经枝繁叶茂、硕果累累，并凸显了我们共同协商、共享成果的精神。
11. 在文化方面，两国也保持密切交流。中华文化的博大精深无需赘述，而新加坡本土文化将多种文化融会贯通，亦有独树一帜的魅力。近年来，无论是在中国广受欢迎的文艺精品来新演出，或是赴华巡演和巡展的新加坡华乐团和国家美术馆，都丰富了两国之间的文化交流，加深了我们对彼此文化的理解和欣赏。
12. 这些民间联系，也为新中合作关系增添了温度与厚度。有了文化上的理解，我们就能相互谅解，取得共识。有了共识，新中关系也就能细水长流、历久弥坚。
13. 在科技创新方面，我们致力于共同推动未来发展，不断深化科研合作。例如，两国联手创办了中新国际联合研究院，也成立了中新绿色金融工作组，以深化两国在绿色和转型金融方面的合作。
14. 由此可见，我们在科技上的合作，已从传统制造提升至智能创造，并且从单纯地引进技术升级为共同创新。
15. 只有结伴同行，我们才能走得更远。只有齐心协力，我们才能再攀高峰。今天，在科技突飞猛进的时代，我们肯定能取得更多的成就。这当中既有挑战也有机遇，我们将在之后的次主题讨论中进行更多的讨论。
共创辉煌
16. 如今，世界正经历百年未有的剧变。有鉴于此，新加坡和中国更需要紧密合作，为两国乃至整个区域的人民谋求福祉。
17. 在贸易方面，我们加紧推进区域经济一体化，包括落实《区域全面经济伙伴关系协定》以及最近签署的《亚细安—中国自由贸易协定》第三次升级版。这些努力在更不确定的大环境中，为区域发展解锁了新的机遇。正如习近平主席最近在亚太经合组织领导人非正式会议上所说，越是风高浪急，我们越要同舟共济，共同维护多边贸易体制和营造开放型区域经济环境。
18. 在应对一些迫切的全球挑战方面，我们也有拓展合作的空间。这包括应对气候变化、保障粮食安全以及跟上数码经济的发展步伐。为此，两国最近就第三国培训计划签署了谅解备忘录，在东南亚展开合作，帮助各国更好地采用清洁能源和加强气候韧性。
19. 展望未来，两国合作应致力于促进和平稳定、推动开放创新，以及搭建互信桥梁。
考验领导力的三大时代变革
20. 本届论坛的主题聚焦风起云涌的国际局势，以及世界所处于的转折点。我将之概括为正在深刻重塑各国治理方式、发展模式和共处之道的“三大时代变革”。为此，我们必须加深伙伴关系，共同引领时代潮流、把握发展机遇、开辟前进道路。
(一) 来自地缘政治局势的挑战
21. 第一大时代变革，是全球权力格局正发生前所未有的变化。除了大国之间的竞争以外，我们还面对另一个更根本的挑战，即各国对数十年来维持国际秩序的机制失去信心。
22. 无论是联合国、世界贸易组织等国际组织，或是区域安全机制和多边条约等安排，这些曾备受认同且具有约束力的机制，如今却日益被视为不合时宜乃至形同虚设。许多国家逐渐变得内视，开始质疑全球治理究竟是符合自身利益，还是限制了国家主权。当各国对国际机构失去信心时，它们就会倾向于自己解决，这将是大家的损失。
23. 其实，多边主义今日所面对的信任危机早已有迹可循。当联合国安理会无法制止冲突爆发，当贸易争端不交由世贸组织解决，当气候协议缺乏执行机制时，各国和人们不但会对这些制度感到灰心，更会怀疑各国是否能携手克服共同挑战。
24. 其中最危险的后果，不是更激烈的国际竞争，而是各国放弃合作，各自为营。当供应链沦为施压手段，合作被竞争所取代时，所有人都将是输家。
25. “赢了场面，输了人面；得了风光，失了心房。” 每个国家领导者都希望深得民心，但笼络人心或许容易，建立真正的信誉却需要很长的时间。为了获得短期利益而失去信誉，终将得不偿失。有时候，我们应当提醒自己，不应该赢了场面，输了人面；得了风光，失了心房。我们要的，不是一时的掌声，而是人民持久的拥护。
26. 我们不该变得内视，而更应该继续寻找合作的共同基础，保持社会和经济开放，欢迎所有的合作伙伴，并在遵守国际法和《联合国宪章》的基础上和多边框架下，开展国际合作。通过协商协作，我们将能共同维护地区和平稳定，进而增强全球治理韧性。正如黄循财总理在天津世界经济论坛上所说，如果世界各地志同道合的国家都尽自己的一份力，那么我们就能共同推动改变。 因此，无论大国或小国，大家都有可扮演的角色。
(二) 来自颠覆性科技的挑战
27. 第二大时代变革，是人工智能、大数据、量子技术、5G网络等革新技术，正以旋风之势席卷全球，并将深刻重塑产业形态、经济格局与社会运行模式。
28. 这些新兴技术不仅提升了效率，更创造了前所未有的发展机遇，除了让个别国家实现跨越式的发展，也能大大改善了一般人的生活。例如，人工智能优化了生产流程、增强了决策能力，并缩短了创新周期；区块链与数码平台提升了透明度和信任度，也促进了贸易便利；量子计算与先进通信技术则催生了新产业新模式，并开拓了新市场。
29. 新加坡和中国所幸比较不受现有技术和系统的束缚，能够更快推动且获益于技术创新。但随着新科技全面普及，我们也面临系统整合、数据安全、道德底线，以及人才储备等新挑战。
30. 为此，我们需要加强研发、统一标准、完善政策、培育人才，并以创新驱动发展。我们也要提升治理效能，以及推动更具韧性和前瞻性的经济发展。
31. 此外，我们还需携手构建安全框架，确保人工智能等新技术真正造福人类，推动社会发展与进步，同时确保每个人都能跟得上发展的步伐，并从中受惠。
32. 接下来，随着中国落实“十五五”规划，新中双边合作也将进入下一个的发展阶段，我们期待与中方携手并进，把握新机遇。
(三) 来自多元社会期望的挑战
33. 第三大时代变革，是贫富差距、意识形态，以及身份认同所引起的社会分化。纵观全球，经济增长并未惠及所有人，科技在拉近距离的同时，也制造了新的鸿沟。当人们跟不上时代步伐、感觉被遗忘时，他们对制度的信任便会开始动摇。
34. 无论是在发达国家还是发展中国家，社会分裂现象的深层原因，往往是人民缺乏经济上的安全感。当民众对未来失去信心、感觉诉求被忽视，甚至认定体制对自己不利时，国家便容易陷入民粹主义、两极分化和停滞不前的困境。
35. 除了上述挑战，中国和新加坡还面对人口迅速老龄化的难题。以新加坡为例，我们的老年供养比例已从2014年的每6名劳动人口供养1名年长者，降低至目前的3.5个人，预计到2030年还将进一步降低至2.7个人。
36. 这不只是数字上的变化，更折射出了整个社会经济结构的根本转变。在人口红利逐渐消失的同时，劳动队伍缩小及医疗保健和社会保障需求扩大的压力也与日俱增。
37. 我们在治理国家时，不能只侧重年长一代或任何一个群体的需求，而忽略了其他群体。与此同时，年轻一代的生活条件普遍较好，也因此更可能注重个人志向，而不是当下的经济问题。越来越多年轻人选择迟婚迟育，甚至不婚不生育。这些趋势都会改变我们照顾彼此的方式。
38. 在新加坡，选民的要求是政府必须听取民意，并且愿意集思广益。我国正通过政策创新、技能培训，以及改善国人健康和养老服务，试图将人口红利转化为知识红利，把老龄化挑战转化为发展机遇。
结语
39. 人民对国家领导者有明确的期待：他们希望领导者能为他们谋求福祉、指引方向，带来希望。
40. 正因深知人民的诉求，新加坡与中国才会选择合作而非对抗、包容而非孤立、坚守原则而不走捷径。最重要的是，我们挺身而出，肩负起领导的重任，不是因为身不由己，而是因为我们相信自己能为人民带来改变。
41. 好的领导人不一定永远正确，但一定恪守正道、为民服务；不一定无所不知，但一定切中要害、集思广益；不一定能言善道，但一定为弱者发声。
42. 所谓“成功不必在我，成功必定有我”。这正是我们应当秉持的精神。身为领导者，我们更要发扬“前人栽树，后人乘凉”的精神，为人民铺路，为后代造福。
43. 愿我们都能做这样的领导者——不求名留青史，但求不负使命。在这个瞬息万变的时代，愿我们能够消除人们心中的焦虑，燃起他们心中的希望。
44. 接下来，杨莉明部长将进一步阐述我们面临的共同挑战，以及能改善两国民生的合作机遇。其他新方代表也将分别探讨如何为高质量发展打造伙伴关系、与民携手共创未来，以及培养富有远见且德才兼备的领导者。我期待与中国朋友深入交流，相互学习，并预祝这次论坛圆满成功。
45. 让我们坚守初心、携手前行，驾驭新中友谊之舟乘风破浪，驶向亚洲和平稳定、繁荣和谐的美好未来。
46. 谢谢！