NTU serves as 'bridge to connect China and ASEAN'

Ho Teck Hua, president of Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU Singapore), has emphasized NTU’s role in connecting China with Singapore, as well as ASEAN countries through cooperation in education, scientific research, social services and other fields.

Ho Teck Hua

Ho, a prominent behavioral scientist, was appointed the fifth president of NTU on April 24. Ho was on a visit to Shenzhen with an NTU delegation last week, meeting Shenzhen Mayor Qin Weizhong and visiting Shenzhen University and some tech companies.

Ho also attended NTU’s 15th China Convocation during the weekend, which was held in Shenzhen for the first time.

“It was an eye-opener. We learned a lot, such as their technology and management experience. They’ve been doing pretty well,” Ho said in an interview Saturday when talking about his visit to the tech companies.

Ho said Shenzhen has shown stronger capabilities in innovation and entrepreneurship compared with other cities.

“Shenzhen is amazing in quick prototyping. If one has a product and a concept, it can be immediately transformed into a good product or a trial product, and I think Singapore can truly learn from that,” Ho said.

A view of NTU’s 15th China Convocation in Shenzhen during the weekend.

Ho disclosed that NTU is actively exploring opportunities to establish innovation and entrepreneurship institutions in collaboration with Chinese cities including Shenzhen. At present, the university maintains close partnerships with renowned Chinese enterprises, including the Shenzhen-headquartered WeBank and Alibaba Group.

According to Ho, Singapore and China each have their respective strengths, such as Singapore’s expertise in urban greening and China’s strength in digital banking. “Both sides should learn from each other and deepen cooperation.”

Singapore and China have continuously expanded their cooperation in trade, research and education over the years, and NTU has benefited from the smooth development of bilateral relations, Ho said.

“The university has newly established the ‘NTU Singapore-China Knowledge Hub,’ in a bid to build a bridge for scientific research, entrepreneurship and education between Singapore and China, fostering a vision of mutual learning,” Ho said.

According to Ho, as a world-class university, NTU is committed to deepening collaboration with various Chinese entities, including universities and local governments, and the hub will serve as a pivotal bridge for strengthening bilateral relations.

“Singapore is an ASEAN country, so we hope to work together with China and help Chinese companies or alumni. If they want to develop in ASEAN, they can make use of this bridge,” the NTU president said.

According to NTU, there are currently 36,600 NTU alumni working and living in China, and the university has 30 alumni associations in the country.