Singapore and China should deepen AI and energy ties

Caption language: en · Fetched: 2026-07-07

Singapore and China should deepen cooperation in the use of AI, energy resilience, and caring for an aging population. These were three points raised by Singapore's National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat at this year's Singapore-China Forum. Mr. Chee says no country has all the answers or resources to tackle today's challenges alone. Instead, nations should remain open, learn from one another, and work on practical solutions that benefit both sides. >> It is in this spirit that Singapore and China can look forward to continuing to expand and deepen our collaboration building on a strong foundations that generations before us have laid over the years. These bilateral partnerships need not stop at our borders. The lessons learned and the solutions developed can ripple outward benefiting the wider region and the world.

>> In a later discussion, Mr. Chee added that the nature of bilateral partnership will also have to evolve in response to geopolitical shifts. Citing Tianjin, for example, he adds that the cooperation efforts can go beyond green economy and tech, even branching out of developments in the Eco-City. The key, he says, is to be flexible and keep up with the times. Mr. Chee also responded to questions on why Singapore had remained silent over the collapsed Meta Manus deal? The proposed acquisition of the Singapore-headquartered AI company was blocked by Chinese regulators over national security concerns. Mr. Chee says no Singapore laws have been broken. He stressed that the country respects the national security priorities of other nations and that such considerations are important for long-term international cooperation.

>> What Singapore will do is we want to establish ourselves as a trusted place for business and for finance. And to do that I think disclosure is important, transparency is important, trust is important. And that is the direction that we will take. Not focusing on whether it's a Chinese AI company or American AI company or for that matter from any other country or whether is it AI or another particular technology. That is not our focus.