The first class of the Belt and Road EMBA Program for Southeast Asia at the PBC School of Finance (PBCSF), Tsinghua University held its fourth module in Singapore from November 1 to November 5, 2017. Southeast Asian and Chinese entrepreneurs from the class visited quite a few renowned local companies, such as Government of Singapore Investment Corp (GIC) Singapore Exchange Ltd. (SGX), Temasek Holdings, Singapore Post, and Capitaland.

In addition to these company visits and exchanges with company high-level executives, the EMBA students also learned courses including “Intercultural Communication from a Positive Psychological Perspective”, “The Logics of Asset Allocation” and “Fixed Income Bonds and RMB Offshore Markets”.

At the GIC headquarters in Singapore, Lim Chow-Kiat, managing director and chief executive officer of GIC made a keynote speech entitled “Investing Successfully for the Long Term”. He introduced that as the governing body of Singapore government's foreign reserve, GIC's main investment objective is asset hedging, steady growth and risk control. Lim said he was optimistic about China's economic development for a long-term, technological innovation and investment opportunities brought by the “Belt and Road” initiative. 

At Singapore Exchange Ltd. (SGX), Chew Sutat, vice president and head of capital markets, warmly welcomed the EMBA students. Department heads of securities, bonds, derivatives and research of SGX introduced the status quo of the industry, departmental functions and division of labor and discussed with students about the Singapore Exchange's policies of attracting investment and improving investment efficiency. 

Temasek's president, Kenneth Hsieh, shared his story about the history, investment philosophy and success of Temasek. He also talked about the story behind Temasek's corporate governance as a sovereign fund and the long-term high return on investment. During the Q&A session, Mr. Rohit Sipahimalani, co-director of strategy and risk department also had a profound discussion with students. 

Paul William Coutts, CEO of Singapore Post Ltd., shared the company's history, the impact of modern e-commerce on traditional logistics, and the strategic transformation of crisis into opportunity. Students also visited the Singapore Post's modern dispensing workshops and fully automated package dispensing pipeline.

Lee Chee Koon, CEO of Ascott Limited, a subsidiary of CapitaLand Group, introduced the group's business development history and its deployment in Southeast Asia. He also highlighted the unique features of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS) and CapitaLand’s investment and management of REITS.

The EMBA students also held dialogues and exchanges with Sea, a leading innovative enterprise and the nonprofit Singapore International Mediation Center (SIMC). As a leader in Singapore's technology industry, Sea operates Garena, a digital entertainment platform, Shopee, an e-commerce platform and AirPay, a digital financial services platform that was recently listed on the New York Stock Exchange in the United States. The Singapore International Mediation Center is a non-profit organization that provides international regulatory arbitration services.