Singapore’s Trade Minister Urges Global Collaboration – and Some Tech‑savvy Humour
At the opening of IBM Think Singapore 2019, Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing gave a rousing speech that read more like a pep talk than a policy briefing. He warned that if countries and businesses refuse to share resources and jam their processes together, everyone’ll feel the pinch of a fragmented digital economy.
Why the World Needs to “Balkanise” IT… in the best way
Chan’s main point? “If we keep sticking to our silos, we’ll all be poorer.” He cited giants such as IBM, Google, and PayPal, pointing out that without cross‑border data flows, they would be under the digital stream.
Numbers to Light the Fire
- The worldwide digital economy is a whopping US$11.5 trillion (S$15.9 trillion) per Oxford Economics and Huawei – over 15 % of global GDP.
- In Singapore’s own reckoning, a US$10 billion boost to GDP is expected by 2021, thanks to the Digital Economy Framework for Action.
Never Rest on Past Successes
Chan drew an analogy: “IBM’s products today are not the same as two years ago, and they won’t look the same in another two.” The takeaway for Singapore? Constantly re‑inventing, re‑integrating and innovating is the only way to stay afloat.
Conference Highlights – A Tech‑savvy Smorgasbord
The event, held at Sands Expo and Convention Centre, pulled in more than 1,000 business leaders. Highlights included:
- Housing Board, DBS Bank and DHL Express showcased how AI, data science, and quantum computing are remixing workflows.
- IBM Asia‑Pacific’s CEO & chairman Harriet Green praised Singapore’s Smart Nation drive, noting the country’s blend of tech, talent, and collaboration.
- She added a touch of humor: “No wonder people worldwide want to open doors to Singapore’s best practices and opportunities.”
Bottom Line
Chan’s message to the world: if you want to keep your business alive in the explosive digital arena, you must be as flexible as a yoga instructor at 3 am, keep your fingers on the tech pulse, and never, ever think yesterday’s solution will be tomorrow’s gold.
Source: The Straits Times (reproduction requires permission).
