Yesterday : A blink of eyes, some 10 years ago

I was in Suzhou working for SIP Project. Before this, I had never thought of working overseas especially in China, but a surprise phone called from Neo Chian (JTC CEO) in Dec 07 was a game changing call of my career. He requested me to join his team for SIP Project and advised that I could do a recee trip to Suzhou to have a feel of the project before making up my mind. I knew there is no way I could turn it down since it is our flagship G2G project. After recee and consulting my sister/brothers and friends/colleague, I took up the challenge and plunged myself into the ocean of turbulence.

2 I was glad that it turned out to be a blessing in disguise – the posting had developed me into a China-ready specialist with special love for Chinese culture/heritage, strengthening my understanding of the Chinese process/practices, and established a good network of friendship.

3 I was honoured and privileged to have the rare opportunity to work on this important and delicate project collaborated by the two countries (Singapore and China) led by many heavy weight and brilliant Chinese and Singapore leaders. I had learnt a lot of invaluable lessons and experiences from them. Money cannot buy all these, it required 天时地利人和. It was the golden time of my career which has impacted the outlook of my life, and has left me with a very fond/unforgettable memory, impression and unique experiences that I will always cherish, and can proudly share with my grand siblings and friends. A big thank you and deep appreciation to my best boss-mentor--friend, Neo Chian.

4 The first 18 months of my Suzhou posting was extremely taxing (very different from the usual desk-bound admin/civil service work) with little play and break, very tense working environment, a lot of coordination and adaptation (both with Chinese and Singapore relevant authorities), meetings over meetings (never expect there were so much of meetings for just an industrial development project), a lot of surprises and unexpectated incidents, drafts over drafts, reviews over reviews, rounds and rounds of negotiations, big and small, over weekdays and weekends, seems like never ending, standby at all time, always on alert mode even when it was a off day. Joyful moments were the ones when we achieved small and big breakthroughs over negotiations and discussions. When our bosses were happy, we the staffers jumped to real joy as all the sleepless nights paid off.

5 The famous 50-50 (half-half) settlement formula deal was coined by Neo Chian and the former SIPAC Chairman Xie Jiabin over the numerous project-focused meetings at SIPAC/CSSD meeting rooms. Otherwise, things just got stuck there and could not move. With these, both win. So I learn how to achieve win-win from Suzhou project. It is easy say than done, but we delivered.

6 Jumping at and turning on notebook, taking down notes, trying to remember who said what, tones of translations, interpretations, contacting colleagues for late night meetings and gathered at his apartment in Singa Plaza or Lakeview Apartment was normal and common. The only peaceful and break time we had was when Neo Chian flew back to Singapore for JTC matters, but we can’t be too happy for long, the next moment, he touched down in Shnaghai Hongqiao Airport and zipped to office and appeared in Suzhou and we were back to square one. Long hour of office work, skip lunch, chewing biscuits, late supper were a norm until negotiations concluded in end June 1999.

7 To me and comrade Waiyee (must thank her for taking good care of me settling down for the job in the early part of the tenure), the most unforgettable and memorable incident was the Mar 08 site inspection of the 70 sq km SIP by the entire SIP Singapore working team on a first Saturday morning when Neo Chian just assumed his office as CSSD CEO, and coincidentally, that was also the first time Suzhou snowed in March. We (including the current MOS (T&I) Yishyan) braved the snow and cold wind, shivering and setting our foot on the vast land and ponds earmarked for this Sino-Singapore cooperation project, the unique experience that we would never have it and been through in Singapore – the tropical city. After the whole morning of cold wind and snow, the best thing we had for lunch at 2 pm was rice with the big plate chicken with chilli served at the Xinjiang Restaurant near North Gate railway station.

8 Another unforgettable incident was the so-then-long meeting of the 3-member team (KBW, LCO, LNC) negotiation between Singapore and Jiangsu/Suzhou (LBH, CDM, XJB) lasted through midnightand concluded at 5 am. During negotiations, I, a member of the key support team, was required to stay awake throughout the night as we need to be ever ready with facts and figures and materials at any one time to support the negotiation team and prepared the concluded document for immediate signatures.

9 The then Suzhou Party Secretary Liang Baohua (current Jiangsu Party Secretary) happened to walked pass our operation room and was surprised to see only 2 staffers in the Singapore room doing the work and commented that they had far too many over their camp. When concluded at 5am, we jumped to joy and quickly washed up and went for early breakfast, then rushed back to apartment, pick up documents, heading for office to work on details on a Saturday afternoon. You can imagine how hard Neo Chian drives us, and he is really a tough master!

10 Neo Chian is a man of principle, very understanding boss and always willing to listen and have staff welfare at heart, a socialist when distributing welfare. He made it a point to dine with us at lunch or dinner whenever he was in Suzhou, and we like the community-living, upstairs-downstairs neighbours. I enjoyed most was when his wife and family/friends were in Suzhou, then I could sample the home-cooked food, otherwise, everyday was an eat-out dinning. Toh Sim and wife Woi Lee is a very lovely couple who always provided me with needed comfort and soup, cheese cake, teh talek and blue mountain coffee. Yummy Yummy.

Neo Chian is very hands on, extremely hardworking with elephant memory (we admired his super brainpower). SIPAC people regarded him as an iron man who is very fit, doesn’t take lunch and hardly rest. Frequent inspections of factory, road construction, central park development, walked the ground, CPE, midnight emails, early morning and late night meetings… we dare not tell him that we cannot cope and hope that he can slow down……we, the proudly team, thriving on for the G2G project…….
11 Life after the negotiations is hectic but not as colourful and dramatic as before, both sides worked together closely to deliver the agreed agenda including the selection and training of new Chinese management team to take over the Singapore management on 1 Jan 2001. Some 20 Suzhou officials including the current SIPAC Party Secretary/Chairman, and CSSD Chairman/CEO went through the 3-month training programme in Singapore and then posted to CSSD for on-the-job attachment for 9-month. Both Singapore and Chinese team worked well together during the transition and friendship blossom. To commemorate our work done in SIP and the Sino-Singapore cooperation, Neo Chian commissioned NUS to do a commemorative coffee table book In Unison (I created the Chinese name 圆融）and engaged Singapore artiste Sun Yu Li to design a scultpure entitled Unison @ Jinji Lake, uneviled by SM Lee in June 2001.
We were all presented a copy of the book and a thank-you message by the then DPM lee Hsien Loong and Neo Chian in 2001. On the 10th SIP anniversay in 2004, Neo Chian presented us with a SIP commemorative coin to thank us for the contribution.These are all priceless and invaluable gifts to us that touched our hearts and minds.

12 In addition to this very unique scope of work, I was glad to have opportunities to visits various cities whenever leaders visiting us or during our free time in four different seasons eg Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Yangzhou, Wuxi, Jiangyin etc and sampled a lot of hairy crabs, red wine, 鸡头米，奥灶面， 三头， 东坡肉 etc. The most memorable trip one was the bainian mission in Nanjing in Jan 2000 when it was snowing heavily and we needed to rush back to Suzhou for the next session of bainian with Suzhou Party Secretary and we had to leave the car behind and just took train back to Suzhou. You guess how many hours did it take for the car to travel back to Suzhou from Nanjing? A long 8 hours!!

My greatest takeaways from the Suzhou posting is the friendship and rapport established with both Chinese and Singapore comrades Neo Chian, Toh Sim, Wai Yee, Yean Chau, Yishyan, Siong Leng, Paul Zhong, Kim Guan, Mak, Raymond, Bernard, Clarissa etc. Chinese leaders and friends like Liang, Chen Deming, Xie Jiabin, Shen Mingde, Pan Yuanguan, Zhao Dasheng, Lily Xie, Li Feng, Zhang Yi Hong, Zhao Ping, Shen Sufeng,
Feng Zhenggong, Zhou Yuan, Jiang Yushou, Chen Qining, Ma Minglong, Barry, Du Jianhua, Zhao Zhisong, Zhao Yiqun etc

13 The proudest moment was the day we got invited by SM Lee for the appreciation dinner held in Istana in July 1999. What an honour right!! DPM Lee, Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Dy Secretaries, statutory board Chairmen etc were all there to attend the private closed-door reception. I can never imagine I would have the chance to sit so close to MM and meet him face2face and chatted with him (he interviewed us to be exact). That was the most unforgettable and memorable tempura dinner I had for my life and will never forget! The only regret I had was we forgot to take photograph with him. But I made it up in 2004 when SIP celebrated 10th year anniversary where SM Lee was the GOH, and Neo Chian reminded me to have a picture with SM, and I did. The picture, taken with SM Lee and Mrs Lee on 9 Jun 2004, was the only photo I displayed in my work station. My new colleague Indrani yesterday saw the picture and was so envious about it as MM Lee is his hero.

14 Delighted to have the chance to work and build up close rapport with the current key SIPAC and CSSD Chinese officials as they were all our colleagues from end 1999 to 2000. Both sides established strong friendship with mutual understanding and aligned interests. I am gladly delighted that SIPAC Chairman Ma personally chaired the 1-hour dialogue with me recently and CSSD Chairman Du hosted me to dinner last year after his promotion. How nice to note that our distance is just a phone call/sms away!