Oct 29, 2008
S'pore extends help <!--10 min-->
Besides MOU on schools, Republic also inks three pacts with Chinese side <!-- headline one : start --> <!-- headline one : end --> <!-- Author --> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr></tr> <tr> </tr> <tr> </tr> <tr> </tr> <tr><td colspan="2" class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold">By Connie Er</td></tr></tbody></table>
Acting Mayor Chen Xinyou (right) discussing with Mr Lim and Mr Yeo (left) the plan to rebuild the quake-ravaged Wu Du school in Hanwang town in Mianzhu (in the background). -- PHOTO: IE SINGAPORE
CHENGDU - THE site in Sichuan province, which was hit by a massive earthquake on May 12, now lies barren and silent. But when the next school year starts in September, a brand new school building buzzing with activity is expected to stand on the piece of land. The site in Mianzhu city, south-western China, is next to where Wu Du Primary School stood before it was torn apart by the quake. It is one of seven schools to be rebuilt, together with a children's service centre, in severely hit areas in Sichuan, with money raised for quake victims during a MediaCorp Channel 8 charity show in May which raised $10.25 million. 'The sum of $10.25 million is the biggest we have managed to raise so far from our people for any charitable cause,' said Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC and adviser to the fund-raising working committee for the Sichuan earthquake. He said this after visiting Mianzhu with Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Swee Say yesterday. Mr Lim and Acting Mayor Chen Xinyou of Deyang City, which governs Mianzhu, agreed that re-construction of the Wu Du school should begin by year-end. Besides Mianzhu, some of the other schools will be rebuilt in Mianyang, Shifang, Yaan, Dayi, and Renshou. A few, if not all, should be completed in a year's time, Mr Yeo said. 'We also want to use this project to strengthen the exchange between Singapore's children and Sichuan's children,' said Mr Yeo.
The Sichuan authorities said early last month that they will rebuild 11,700 schools in quake-affected areas. Later yesterday, Mr Yeo signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the reconstruction project with Mr Gao Kangjian, deputy director of Sichuan Civil Affairs Department, at the close of the 11th annual meeting of Singapore-Sichuan Trade and Investment Committee (SSTIC), in the presence of Mr Lim and Minister of State for Defence Koo Tsai Kee. Mr Lim, adviser to the SSTIC, and Associate Professor Koo, SSTIC co-chairman, are in Chengdu on a four-day trade and investment mission. The visit ends today. Despite the current financial downturn, 44 members from 33 companies joined the trip - one of the largest ever for such delegations, which shows optimism in Sichuan's growth opportunities, said Mr Lim. Three areas of collaboration between Singapore and Sichuan companies were identified as the key focus at the SSTIC meeting. The first is modern services, such as banking and finance, logistics, health care, and food and beverage. The second is modern manufacturing, especially in electronics and precision engineering, with the third being exploration of untapped cities.
At the SSTIC meeting, Sichuan's Vice-Governor Huang Xiaoxiang, who is co-chairman on the Chinese side, also extended an invitation to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to visit Chengdu next year to attend the Western China International Economy and Trade Fair. Three other MOUs were signed yesterday, besides the one on the schools. One is on the provision of safe water supply to quake victims in Beichuan county by a consortium comprising the Singapore Water Association, Borouge Pte Ltd - a leading plastic solutions provider - and Singapore-based non-governmental organisation Lien Aid. Water firm Hyflux, a big player in China's water industry, will also invest in three projects in Dayi Industrial Park, including one on spent-oil recycling. Yesterday, CapitaLand also held a ground-breaking ceremony for its S$870 million Raffles City Chengdu. The event came a day after Raffles City Beijing's opening ceremony. Raffles City Chengdu is scheduled to be completed in 2011.
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S'pore extends help <!--10 min-->
Besides MOU on schools, Republic also inks three pacts with Chinese side <!-- headline one : start --> <!-- headline one : end --> <!-- Author --> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr></tr> <tr> </tr> <tr> </tr> <tr> </tr> <tr><td colspan="2" class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold">By Connie Er</td></tr></tbody></table>
Acting Mayor Chen Xinyou (right) discussing with Mr Lim and Mr Yeo (left) the plan to rebuild the quake-ravaged Wu Du school in Hanwang town in Mianzhu (in the background). -- PHOTO: IE SINGAPORE
CHENGDU - THE site in Sichuan province, which was hit by a massive earthquake on May 12, now lies barren and silent. But when the next school year starts in September, a brand new school building buzzing with activity is expected to stand on the piece of land. The site in Mianzhu city, south-western China, is next to where Wu Du Primary School stood before it was torn apart by the quake. It is one of seven schools to be rebuilt, together with a children's service centre, in severely hit areas in Sichuan, with money raised for quake victims during a MediaCorp Channel 8 charity show in May which raised $10.25 million. 'The sum of $10.25 million is the biggest we have managed to raise so far from our people for any charitable cause,' said Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC and adviser to the fund-raising working committee for the Sichuan earthquake. He said this after visiting Mianzhu with Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Swee Say yesterday. Mr Lim and Acting Mayor Chen Xinyou of Deyang City, which governs Mianzhu, agreed that re-construction of the Wu Du school should begin by year-end. Besides Mianzhu, some of the other schools will be rebuilt in Mianyang, Shifang, Yaan, Dayi, and Renshou. A few, if not all, should be completed in a year's time, Mr Yeo said. 'We also want to use this project to strengthen the exchange between Singapore's children and Sichuan's children,' said Mr Yeo.
The Sichuan authorities said early last month that they will rebuild 11,700 schools in quake-affected areas. Later yesterday, Mr Yeo signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the reconstruction project with Mr Gao Kangjian, deputy director of Sichuan Civil Affairs Department, at the close of the 11th annual meeting of Singapore-Sichuan Trade and Investment Committee (SSTIC), in the presence of Mr Lim and Minister of State for Defence Koo Tsai Kee. Mr Lim, adviser to the SSTIC, and Associate Professor Koo, SSTIC co-chairman, are in Chengdu on a four-day trade and investment mission. The visit ends today. Despite the current financial downturn, 44 members from 33 companies joined the trip - one of the largest ever for such delegations, which shows optimism in Sichuan's growth opportunities, said Mr Lim. Three areas of collaboration between Singapore and Sichuan companies were identified as the key focus at the SSTIC meeting. The first is modern services, such as banking and finance, logistics, health care, and food and beverage. The second is modern manufacturing, especially in electronics and precision engineering, with the third being exploration of untapped cities.
At the SSTIC meeting, Sichuan's Vice-Governor Huang Xiaoxiang, who is co-chairman on the Chinese side, also extended an invitation to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to visit Chengdu next year to attend the Western China International Economy and Trade Fair. Three other MOUs were signed yesterday, besides the one on the schools. One is on the provision of safe water supply to quake victims in Beichuan county by a consortium comprising the Singapore Water Association, Borouge Pte Ltd - a leading plastic solutions provider - and Singapore-based non-governmental organisation Lien Aid. Water firm Hyflux, a big player in China's water industry, will also invest in three projects in Dayi Industrial Park, including one on spent-oil recycling. Yesterday, CapitaLand also held a ground-breaking ceremony for its S$870 million Raffles City Chengdu. The event came a day after Raffles City Beijing's opening ceremony. Raffles City Chengdu is scheduled to be completed in 2011.
[email protected]
