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Singapore and China have long shared robust bilateral ties, with recent advancements underscoring a deepening of digital cooperation, as highlighted by the recent Digital Policy Dialogue (DPD), which builds on a foundation of mutual goals and collaborative projects.
The bilateral relationship between Singapore and China was significantly bolstered in April 2023 when Singapore’s then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed their nations’ ties. This meeting upgraded their relations to an “All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership”, reflecting a strong commitment to enhancing collaboration.
During this visit, both leaders agreed to establish a new bilateral policy dialogue platform to identify synergies between China’s Digital China Plan and Singapore’s Smart Nation Initiative. These initiatives address digital development across various pillars, such as the economy, governance, and society, aiming to leverage digital technologies for the benefit of their people and businesses.
The digital cooperation between Singapore and China is marked by significant collaborative efforts. Notable examples include the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Connectivity Initiative launched in 2015, which enhanced connectivity and cross-border data flows, and the 2019 Singapore-China (Shenzhen) Smart Cities Initiative (SCI) under the ASEAN Smart Cities Network. The SCI focuses on policy innovation for cross-border data flows and digital trade. Additionally, Singapore has signed several MoUs on digital economy cooperation with Chinese cities to promote digital trade, innovation, and business facilitation.
The DPD represents a pivotal platform to elevate the digital collaboration between Singapore and China. The framework for the DPD, referred to as the ‘3-2-1 Framework’, outlines three objectives, two focus areas, and one common approach.
The three objectives of the DPD are to enhance mutual understanding, foster policy innovation, and address ground-up challenges. First, the DPD aims to deepen mutual understanding of each country’s digital ecosystems by sharing best practices and learning from one another, allowing both nations to identify areas where their ecosystems and companies can thrive through collaboration.
Second, the DPD seeks to develop policies that support industries and companies as they navigate and grow within the digital economy, with policymakers, regulators, and government agencies creating an environment conducive to success while anticipating future challenges.
Lastly, the DPD aims to proactively address challenges faced by ground-up projects and initiatives, scaling lessons learned to amplify their impact across broader digital ecosystems and benefit more cities, provinces, and companies.
The two focus areas of the DPD are facilitating trusted commercial data flows and promoting AI safety and governance. The first focus area aims to enable trusted commercial data flows for companies. The second focus area seeks to enhance mutual understanding of AI safety and governance approaches to ensure the safe application of AI for businesses and the public.
The DPD advocates for a pragmatic and agile approach, mirroring the dynamism of the tech sector. This approach involves taking concrete steps to address issues while remaining adaptable to rapid changes in the digital realm, ensuring that the partnership remains at the forefront of digital innovation.
The approach to digital cooperation is implemented at three levels:
- Government-to-Government Engagement: Regulators and policymakers collaborate to address issues.
- Industry and Academia Involvement: Engaging like-minded partners from industry and academia to discuss pertinent issues.
- Industry-Level Adoption: Businesses adopt the framework to implement projects and drive innovations.
The recent DPD marks a significant step in the digital cooperation between Singapore and China. With the support of leaders and collaborative efforts across various levels, the partnership is poised to achieve greater heights, driving innovation and benefiting both nations’ digital ecosystems. The shared commitment to learning, adapting, and innovating ensures that this partnership will continue to thrive in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
