Remarks by Senior Minister of State for Law and Transport, Mr Murali Pillai at the North Bund Forum 2025

Journey of a Thousand Miles

Mr Liu Wei, Minister of Transport, People’s Republic of China, 

Mr Gong Zheng, Mayor, Shanghai Municipal Government, 

Excellencies, 

Distinguished Guests, 

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

1.     Good morning. It is my pleasure to join you in Shanghai today for the North Bund Forum. 

2.     This is my first time visiting China under my transport portfolio, but not the first-time visiting Shanghai in my life - in 2008 I was in Shanghai, studying for my MBA. I was a keen student then, and I remain a keen student today, hoping to learn from everyone here. 

3.     Today, we meet at a time when the aviation and maritime industries are facing tough global challenges in common, most prominently, the existential threat of climate change. Climate change has precipitated weather pattern changes, with more frequent disruptive extreme weather events, and worsening turbulence as our planet warms. The global aviation and maritime industries together contribute about 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions. 

4.     The Forum’s theme of “Collaborating for Sustainable Global Shipping and Aviation” cuts to the crux. If the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, as Lao Tzu once said, today we as strong partners, take an important stride. 

Many Roads to Collaboration 

5.     Multilateral cooperation develops shared global rules and frameworks which are essential for the aviation and maritime industries’ sustainability journeys. The International Civil Aviation Organization, or ICAO, and International Maritime Organization, or IMO, are the cornerstones of such coordinated global action. Both ICAO and IMO are striving to achieve net-zero for the aviation and maritime industries by or around 2050. These goals are supported by frameworks, such as the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, or CORSIA, to guide decarbonisation while enabling growth of the sectors and maintaining a level playing field. The international aviation community reaffirmed its commitment to CORSIA at the recent ICAO Assembly last month. Such frameworks also ensure that rules and measures are robust, interoperable, and transparent. 

6.     Singapore is committed to supporting the important work of the ICAO and IMO. 

Bilateral and regional partnerships 

7.     Bilateral and regional partnerships complement multilateral platforms. Singapore and China share a long-standing relationship built on trust, shared ambition, and mutual benefit. 

8.     On the aviation front, China’s Green Air Silk Road initiative serves as a valuable effort to promote green airports, sustainable operations, and capability development. Singapore similarly launched our Sustainable Air Hub Blueprint in 2024, laying out our decarbonisation plans for the sector. 

9.     As part of the Blueprint, we have recently set up the Asia Pacific Sustainable Aviation Centre, or APSAC. APSAC hopes to collaborate with other parties in the region, including China. 

10.    In maritime, Singapore and China have established the Singapore-Tianjin and Singapore-Shandong Green and Digital Shipping Corridors, or GDSCs, to advance maritime decarbonisation. 

11.    The GDSCs have made good progress, with ongoing discussions on fuel technologies, digitalisation, and workforce training. 

a.     For example, under the Singapore-Tianjin GDSC, Singapore’s Maritime Energy and Sustainable Development Centre of Excellence and the China Classification Society have embarked on joint research to advance the adoption of green methanol. 

12.    Our Ministries of Transport are also working on a national-level Singapore-China GDSC to deepen our cooperation and strengthen coordination. 

Enhancing Hub Services  

13.    Beyond bilateral cooperation on sustainability, Singapore and China have enjoyed collaborations in other areas such as innovation and talent development, spurring industry development and mutually enhancing our hub statuses. 

a.     The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, MPA, and Suzhou Industrial Park Administrative Committee, or SIPAC, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Digital and Green Maritime Innovation in 2024. Under the MOU, MPA and SIPAC support enterprises to participate in each other’s start-up ecosystems, and have successfully organised online roadshows for the PIER71 Smart Port Challenge in 2024 and 2025. 

b.     Recognising the criticality of talent development, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore signed an MOU with the Civil Aviation Flight University of China in August last year to establish training cooperation in civil aviation. The Singapore Aviation Academy also recently conducted customised training programmes for participants from Capital Airports Holdings and the Civil Aviation University of China. 

14.    I look forward to further collaborations between our two countries on areas of mutual interest and benefit, from green fuel supply chains and adoption of digital technologies under our GDSCs, to new frontiers in innovation and maritime services, and talent development. 

Conclusion 

15.    We meet today at a time of rising challenges, but we also meet with a history of deep friendship, respect and most importantly, a record of tried and tested projects with practical impact. Singapore stands ready to work with China as we have done for the past 35 years. The journey to continue to improve the lives of our people, to restore the health of the planet itself, is not just a thousand miles, but ten thousand years, a journey fraught with challenges but one that we are proud to walk together with you.  

16.    Thank you, and I wish everyone, and the Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China and Shanghai Municipal Government a successful North Bund Forum.