On December 15, a freight train loaded with chemical products and motorcycle parts departed Chongqing's Yuzui Railway Freight Station, heading south to Singapore via Qinzhou, Guangxi, using a rail-sea intermodal transport route. Simultaneously, another international train carrying automobile KD components set off westward to Kazakhstan. The launch of these dual routes seamlessly connects the China-Europe Railway Express with the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, marking a renewed decade of progress for the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity.
Following the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park and Tianjin Eco-City, this initiative—the third intergovernmental collaboration between China and Singapore—was launched in November 2015. Over the past decade, it has pioneered 33 institutional innovations in openness, fostering deeper cooperation between China’s western regions and ASEAN nations.
Zhang Yongwu, Director of Chongqing’s Commerce Commission and head of the Chongqing-Singapore project bureau, highlighted the initiative’s role in aligning with national strategies while driving regional economic growth. "The project has established a new framework where Chongqing and Singapore’s direct collaboration ('point-to-point') catalyzes broader engagement ('face-to-face') between western China and ASEAN," he said.
The initiative has successfully developed five key channels: the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, cross-border financing, the Chongqing-Singapore International Data Channel, an air corridor, and cultural exchanges. As of October, the trade corridor has reached 581 ports across 127 countries.
Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information and Health, Tan Kiat How, emphasized that the corridor is not just a logistics route but also a platform for regional integration, digital innovation, green development, and financial connectivity.
In finance, the project has broken new ground with cross-border financing solutions. In ICT, the dedicated data channel serves as a high-speed digital link. Aviation cooperation has also expanded air connectivity between western China and Southeast Asia.
A vivid example of deepening ties is Chongqing Dejia Meat Technology’s pork products entering Singapore’s market, facilitated by the Chongqing-Singapore Agricultural Cooperation Plan. Other agricultural exports, like chrysanthemums and blood oranges, have generated over RMB 250 million in trade.
Sun Xiyong, Deputy Director of Chongqing’s Commerce Commission, noted that while early cooperation focused on finance, aviation, logistics, and ICT, public expectations now extend to tangible benefits in daily life.
Recent milestones include the People’s Bank of China authorizing DBS Bank as Singapore’s RMB clearing bank and a new digital corridor agreement signed by China’s National Data Bureau, Chongqing, and Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority.
As the 21st China-Singapore Joint Council Meeting convened in Chongqing on December 15, Tan Kiat How expressed optimism about future collaboration in AI, green transition, smart cities, and digital economy—areas where Chongqing’s progress complements Singapore’s development goals.
Looking ahead, the initiative aims to enhance cooperation in industrial revitalization and public welfare, supporting western China’s industrial transformation and ensuring open benefits reach more businesses and residents.
"By 2030, we aim to establish this project as a global benchmark for digital rules, green development, and cross-border innovation in AI and carbon neutrality," Zhang Yongwu said, envisioning a dynamic new phase of growth for regional economies and multilateral cooperation.
Comments