2020 China-Singapore (Chongqing) Dedicated Connectivity Channel Development Forum held

Southwestern China's Chongqing Municipality staged the 2020 China-Singapore (Chongqing) Dedicated Connectivity Channel Development Forum as one of the major events of the Smart China Expo Online 2020 (SCE) on the afternoon of Sept 15. It was the second session of the forum held in Chongqing.

Chongqing's Nan'an District stages the 2020 China-Singapore (Chongqing) Dedicated Connectivity Channel Development Forum on Sept 15, 2020 [Photo by Gao Ke/Shangyou News]

The forum was jointly undertaken by relevant departments of both China and Singapore. Lew Chuen Hong, Chief Executive of the Infocomm Media Development Authority, attended the event online. Tan Chee King, Consul-General of Singapore in Chengdu, participated in the offline event in Chongqing. Focusing on such topics as "application promotion" and "policy innovation", participants conducted exchanges on the development of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Dedicated Channel on International Internet Data.

Altogether 228 cooperation projects with a total value of USD 32 billion

Shen Jinqiang, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Chongqing Municipal People's Congress, addressed the forum. He said that since the launch of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity (CCI), the two sides have strengthened communication and coordination and expanded areas of cooperation in accordance with the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries.

As of now, 228 cooperation projects with a total value of $32 billion have been signed. Bilateral cooperation in information and communication is getting closer, with the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Dedicated Channel on International Internet Data put into operation, pilot cooperation on building smart cities in China and Singapore developed, and key projects like the China-Singapore International Supercomputing Center launched. These projects have injected strong impetus into the further and stable development of the CCI. Shen Jinqiang added that while the epidemic has had a negative impact on the economy, it has also created new development opportunities. He hoped that Chongqing and Singapore will strengthen matchmaking and collaboration, make good use of the SCE platform, and jointly carry out innovative application of big data intelligence.

14 Singaporean enterprises participated in the "cloud" signing ceremony

With "Cloud" signing ceremony as a feature, this forum also included a key project signing activity and a cooperation agreement signing activity for the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Dedicated Channel on International Internet Data.

Professor Lam Khin Yong from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore gave a keynote speech at the 2020 China-Singapore (Chongqing) Dedicated Connectivity Channel Development Forum at the Singapore Parallel Session of the SCE on Sept 15. [Photo by Zhang Jinhui/Chongqing Daily]

A total of 25 agreements were signed between Chinese and Singaporean enterprises such as Huawei Software Technologies, Inspur Group, Red Star Macalline Group, Fuzhou Beluga Network Technology, Dahua Electric Appliance Group, VeriTAG, and Bamboo System Technology. The contracted projects are mainly concentrated in blockchains, the industrial Internet, supply chain finance, smart supercomputing, smart homes, smart construction sites, smart elder care, and other fields, as well as demonstration applications of the data channel.

According to the person in charge of the Chongqing Big Data Application and Development Administration, the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Dedicated Channel on International Internet Data was approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China in February 2019 and officially opened in Singapore in September 2019.

With obvious advantages like high data rate, high bandwidth, low latency and high reliability, it is the first point-to-point dedicated channel on international data targeted at a single country. Since its opening, the channel has been widely concerned at home and abroad. As of now, it has been successively accessed and applied in seven parks including Liangjiang New Area's Digital Economy Industrial Park, China Intelligence Valley (Chongqing) Science Park, Chongqing Xiantao International Big Data Valley in Yubei District and the Yuzhong District Blockchain Industrial Innovation Base. The number of enterprises that have gained access to the channel has increased from 14 to 50. The enterprises cover more than ten core technology areas such as big data, cloud computing, blockchain, the Internet of Things and virtual reality, promoting rapid development of the channel's construction.

Two parallel sessions on application promotion and policy innovation

Two parallel sessions on application promotion and policy innovation were held at the forum. Representatives of relevant government departments, research institutions and enterprises in China and Singapore were invited to discuss and exchange views on relevant issues, including creating typical application scenarios for the channel, promoting cross-regional cooperation with neighboring provinces and cities on the channel, building an industrial ecosystem of the channel based on Chongqing, and promoting cross-border data flow and risk management and control for the channel.

A principal from the Chongqing Big Data Application and Development Administration said that they would carefully consider good suggestions and methods from participants and turn them into concrete measures for promoting the practical work. Special efforts will be made to establish a China-Singapore ICT standard system by utilizing technologies such as blockchains and the industrial Internet, and build a digital product platform with Chongqing and Singapore as the core and cloud computing and big data as the technical support. The administration intends to deepen cooperation of the two sides and expand digital trade, thereby building the channel into a Chongqing-based next-generation information infrastructure that spurs the development of western areas and target overseas markets.