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Singapore, Hong Kong can work together to become ‘shining cities’, fill ‘special niches’: Manpower Minister Tan See Leng

  • Singapore’s manpower minister said both cities were in a ‘prime position to be a springboard for talent growth’ to mainland China and Southeast Asia
  • Speaking at the Post’s Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2023, Tan said both hubs had ‘innate advantages’ with ‘multiple opportunities’ for trade and exchanges

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Tan See Leng, Singapore’s minister for manpower, gives his keynote speech at the Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2023. Photo: May Tse
Kimberly Lim
Singapore and Hong Kong can leverage their unique strengths to attract fresh talent and should “work closely together rather than compete” for new faces, according to Tan See Leng.

The city state’s minister for manpower said he does not “necessarily subscribe” to the characterisation that the two financial hubs are in competition with one another for global talent, but sees “innate advantages” and a “special niche” that are unique to each.

“I think both of us can actually be shining cities … that we work closely together rather than compete,” he said, adding that Hong Kong’s strengths lie in the Greater Bay Area, which is widely seen as among China’s most attractive investment destinations. Though many countries are laying out plans to court new talent, Tan said: “Growth is not a zero-sum game. In fact, healthy competition makes us stronger and creates more vibrant and dynamic cities.”
Hong Kong is in a prime position to be a springboard for talent growth
Tan See Leng, Singapore’s manpower minister
Tan was speaking at the Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2023, which focuses on trade and investment issues between the city and Southeast Asian countries. Attendees include business leaders, policymakers and entrepreneurs from Hong Kong, mainland China and the wider region.

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Singapore, Hong Kong can work together to become ‘shining cities’: Tan See Leng

Singapore, Hong Kong can work together to become ‘shining cities’: Tan See Leng

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Investment Trade and Industry Liew Chin Tong were among the other keynote speakers at the summit.

Tan’s keynote speech on harnessing talent comes at a time when competition for the best workers in key industries is intensifying, and as both Singapore and Hong Kong have unveiled similar visa schemes to court global talent.

But the Singapore minister went to great lengths to stress that both financial hubs have different strengths.

“Hong Kong is in a prime position to be a springboard for talent growth, with its strong links to the Chinese hinterland and its central location in the Greater Bay Area, which has a gross domestic product of about US$2 trillion. And likewise, Singapore can be a springboard for talent growth into Southeast Asia,” Tan said in his opening remarks.

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