S'pore, China deepen cooperation on education, intellectual property & tax

SINGAPORE: Singapore and China will deepen their cooperation on key areas of education, intellectual property and tax under three agreements signed on Monday.

From next year, up to 16 scholarships will be offered to government officials from both sides under the Singapore-China Foundation. This allows them to pursue post graduate studies in each other's countries.

The agreement doubles the number of scholarships offered under the current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 2004.

To date, the foundation has given out over 50 scholarships for courses at Peking University, National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University.

In another MOU signed on Monday, both sides also agreed on a broad framework on intellectual property rights. The MOU will provide for a standard set of terms and conditions relating to the ownership, protection and commercialisation of intellectual property in joint science and technology projects.

The signing of the agreements was witnessed by Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Qishan and Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng.

Mr Wang is in Singapore for a series of high-level talks, with the focus on two bilateral flagship projects - the Suzhou Industrial Park in China's Jiangsu province and the Tianjin Eco-city project.

The Suzhou Industrial Park, now into its 15th year, has enjoyed strong growth for the past five years. Since 2004, output has grown by up to 20 per cent to nearly US$15 billion.

But its fortunes have taken a dip with the global recession. The Park posted an annual GDP growth of 9.7 per cent in the first six months of this year, reaching just over US$8 billion.

At their meeting on Monday, Mr Wong and Mr Wang reiterated their commitment to the project. But they said it is time to review the Park's growth strategy to keep pace with China's developmental needs.

This includes bringing in new industries while keeping business costs low, said
Singapore's Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, who is also a co-chairman of the Singapore-Jiangsu Cooperation Council.

"You have to let go of industries which are lower value-added and ship them out of Suzhou, but at the same time you yourself must build up capabilities so that investors will come and invest in your new capabilities, which your higher costs will still justify," he said.

On the Tianjin Eco-city project, which broke ground last September, the leaders said the emphasis will be on attracting investments - including offering incentives for companies to set up shop there.

Another area of focus is what officials call "software" development - that is policies and programmes that can be replicated in other cities.

"Hard work no doubt, teething problems, there will be. But if we know what they are, we're willing to overcome them, we will make it work. And it requires constant review, and effort on all sides," said Mr Wong.

Mr Wong and Mr Wang are the chairmen of a high-level council on economic cooperation - the Joint Council on Bilateral Cooperation.

The two leaders also agreed to review and expand the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement inked last year.

Senior officials on both sides have been quick to stress that the Suzhou and Tianjin projects are just two items in a long-standing friendship that spans a wide range of areas, including education and cultural exchanges.

Singapore and China mark 20 years of diplomatic relations next year, and their leaders say the recently-concluded talks in Singapore will add a further boost to bilateral ties.

Monday was a busy day for Mr Wang. After signing a number of agreements and meeting the media, the visiting Chinese vice-premier also called on Singapore's leaders.

Mr Wang called on and was hosted to lunch by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong at the St Regis Singapore. There, the two leaders exchanged views on the evolution and strengthening of Singapore-China relations over the years as well as how bilateral cooperation could be further broadened.

In the evening, the Chinese vice-premier called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana where they exchanged views on the global and regional economy as well as the challenges in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. Mr Lee then hosted Mr Wang to a dinner.

The two leaders also affirmed the close Singapore-China ties and discussed how cooperation could be further enhanced.

- CNA/yb/ir

New training campuses will help workers compete in tougher global economy

SINGAPORE: The global job hunt is expected to intensify in the coming years as economies slowly emerge from the recession and Singapore's leaders said the country must ensure it remains competitive after the storm blows over.

To do this, more efforts are being put into skills upgrading, including two new Continuing Education and Training (CET) campuses.

There is never an end to learning. Minister for Manpower Gan Kim Yong himself took a learning journey at the Institute for Adult Learning. It is one of Singapore's 48 Continuing Education and Training campuses, better known as CETs.

Set up in December 2008, the Institute for Adult Learning is ramping up its CET offerings and expanding its services.

As for workers and employers, there are plans to give them greater access to such training facilities all under one roof.

Training centres will come together to support the two new national CET campuses, to be ready by 2013. They will be to working adults, what the polytechnics and universities are to the younger generation.

The campuses will be located at the Jurong Lake District in the west and Paya Lebar Central in the east - both slated to be major regional hubs. They are to serve as one-stop centres, integrating services like career consulting, training, workshops and recruitment facilities.

The campuses will also provide a platform for employment exchange. Employers can meet their manpower needs while workers seek out good job opportunities.

For CET providers, they can leverage on each other and link up with the wider network of providers around the island.

Each campus will be themed. For example, hospitality-related courses such as tourism, F&B and retail can be clustered within the same campus.

Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said: "That will create greater synergies, greater efficiency and more effectiveness in delivering the training programmes. But it doesn't mean that all the other CET centres will no longer have a role to play. They will continue to provide specific industry training programmes for the related industries."

NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say said: "By strengthening our CET infrastructure, we can on one hand work closely with all the economic agencies to ensure that Singapore is competitive - that we're cheaper, we're better, we're faster - to attract more investment to create more jobs."

At least two CET campuses - the Institute for Adult Learning and the labour movement's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) - have announced plans to relocate to the two national CET campuses. Both campuses are expected to provide 150,000 training places annually. - CNA/vm

Former police officer charged with 31 counts of corruption

SINGAPORE: An ex-police officer has been charged with 31 counts of corruption.

36-year-old Ong Tat Wei, formerly an ASP with the Police Technology Department, had set up an educational company with a female Chinese national to bring in Chinese students to study in Singapore.

In order to get entry visas for the students, Ong allegedly enlisted his friends to act as sponsors for them.

Separately, Ong and his partner also engaged his friend Lim Seng Khoon to be the licensee of their "Dream Beauty and Spa", according to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).

It said the couple agreed to pay Lim a monthly sum of S$300 to be the licensee holder of the massage establishment.

Ong was also charged with abetting his partner to offer bribes to Lim and for abetting two others in making false statements to public servants.

Race, religion garner biggest public response on REACH

SINGAPORE: The topic of race and religion constituted a large part of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech last Sunday.

The issue also got the public talking, accounting for half of the responses received by government feedback unit REACH.

Most contributors – who posted comments on Facebook, via email and SMS – agreed that racial harmony was an ingredient in Singapore's continued success.

Eight in ten also accepted Mr Lee's rationale for maintaining harmony among the different racial and religious groups.

Some called for more inter-faith and inter-racial activities, and said there should also be more in-depth interaction.

On healthcare, some hoped to see more help given to support home care for the elderly. Others voiced concerns over growing healthcare costs, suggesting free or subsidised healthcare for the poor, elderly and disabled.

On the economy, many were confident of the country's ability to weather the recession.

A slew of new media tools were used to allow the public to post their feedback.

Twitter, which was used for the first time, proved to be the most popular platform, with #ndrsg among the top 10 trending topics worldwide just two hours into the Rally.

REACH's Rally microsite – www.reach.gov.sg/ndrsg - also saw nearly 10,000 hits.


- CNA/so

Singapore ranked second most expensive city in Asia, after Tokyo

SINGAPORE : Singapore has been ranked the second most expensive city in Asia, after Tokyo, with Hong Kong taking the third position.

In UBS' Prices and Earnings 2009 study released on Thursday, Singapore is ranked 24th globally, in a comparison of living costs in 73 cities around the world. The study was based on data collected between March and April this year.

It found Oslo, Zurich, Copenhagen, Geneva, Tokyo and New York to be the world's priciest cities based on a standardised basket of 122 goods and services. Mumbai, Delhi, Manila and Kuala Lumpur are cities with the lowest price levels.

The study said: "Asia is home to some of the world's priciest cities and nowhere is the spread between most expensive and cheapest more pronounced."

Employees in Copenhagen, Zurich, Geneva and New York have the highest gross wages, but Zurich and Geneva top the rankings in the international comparison of net wages.

In Asia, employees in Tokyo earn the highest wages, and are ranked 18th globally. Their salaries are about two times higher than those in Singapore, which came in at 40th globally. Manila, Jakarta and Mumbai are at the bottom of the table.

As for working hours, people work the longest hours in Asia and the Middle East, and the shortest in France. People work an average of 1,902 hours a year in the surveyed cities, but those in Asian and Middle Eastern cities work an average of 2,119 and 2,063 hours a year respectively.

Overall, Cairo employees work the longest hours, averaging 2,373 hours a year, followed by Seoul with 2,312 hours. In comparison, people in Lyon and Paris spend the least amount of time at work - putting in about 1,582 and 1,594 hours a year respectively.

- CNA/al

Temasek CEO Ho Ching ranked 5th most powerful woman by Forbes

SINGAPORE: Temasek Holdings' chief executive officer, Ho Ching, has been ranked fifth in Forbes' annual ranking of the World's Most Powerful Women. She is the only CEO of an Asia-based company in the top 10 list.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel clinched the number one spot for the fourth consecutive year.

According to Forbes, today's women in power are rising to leadership positions in business, government and philanthropy by making daring and unconventional moves.

They are moving across companies and industries, making big leaps with each change, and repositioning themselves for opportunities that allow them to gain a breadth of experience.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp chairman Sheila Bair is at number two after a year of being tested in unprecedented ways by the United States' deepening economic crisis.

She is followed by Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo, and Anglo-American chief executive Cynthia Carroll.

US First Lady Michelle Obama debuts on the list this year at the 40th spot, alongside many notable newcomers to high-profile leadership positions.

Forbes' rankings of the World's Most Powerful Women are based on a combination of economic impact, media reach, and career accomplishments.
- CNA/yb