June 2019 – Russia Singapore Business Council

Business mission of Russian companies to Singapore came to end

On June 17-21, the Russia-Singapore Business Council held in Singapore a regular business mission of leading Russian high-tech companies. The mission was headed by Nikolay Volobuev, Deputy CEO, State Corporation Rostec & Chairman, RSBC. The mission was timed to the exhibition CommunicAsia-2019 and I Russian Film Week in Singapore.

The Russian delegation included representatives of such holdings and enterprises of Rostec as Ruselectronics, Concern “Sozvezdie”, Russian Helicopters, Technodinamics, RT-Komplektimpeks, Kamaz, as well as the management of Technopark Innopolis, the National Compliance Association, the international Prisma association, etc. Negotiations were held with local business associations, members of which are potential partners, distributors and suppliers for holdings and enterprises of the Corporation and members of the RSBC. In particular, negotiations were held with the Association of Radioelectronic Industry of Singapore, the Singapore Association of Semiconductors, the Singapore Association of Telecommunication Technologies, etc. The parties agreed on points of cooperation and strengths of Russia and Singapore, which will result in joint integration projects in the future, similar to the integration of RSTrade and CamelONE platforms. The leaders of the Singapore associations were invited to take part in the Innoprom-2019 industrial exhibition.

Members of the Russian delegation visited Singapore’s largest national Agencies: Singapore Economic Development (EDB), Singapore Business Development (ESG), Singapore Experience Sharing (SCE), as well as with the Singapore Business Federation (SBF). The key agenda of the talks with the agencies included topics and projects that will be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the High Level Russia-Singapore Intergovernmental Commission, which will be held in Vladivostok in September 2019. There was reached an agreement on a joint organization of a business mission of the Singapore companies by RSBC and the SBF. The mission will be timed to the meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission and the Eastern Economic Forum. At the meeting with SCE, members of the delegation discussed the model for initiating international G2G projects by private companies, and with EDB – opportunities for participation of foreign companies in Singapore tenders.

At the meeting with SingEx (the Singapore equivalent of the Roscongress Foundation) there was discussed the cooperation of RSBC and the company in promoting the Russian enterprises of Rostec at SingEx events, including the 2018 Industrial Transformation Asia Pacific, which will be held on October 22-24, 2019 in Singapore . The international partner of the event, Hannover Messe, is the largest international exhibition of industrial technologies, which is a window to the future for thousands of visitors. Hannover Messe has become a global platform for topics such as Industry 4.0, energy efficiency and intelligent networks. It is the most important platform for technologies related to industrial transformation in the West, where the concept of the fourth industrial revolution came from. The regional analogue in Asia is the Industrial Transformation Asia Pacific 2019 exhibition.

The business mission also included a number of educational events. On June 18, a seminar for representatives of the management of a number of holdings of the State Corporation Rostec was held at the Centre for Overseas Promotion of Russian High-Tech Companies and the Presentation of investment projects. The seminar was focused on the key aspects of procurement practice and the latest approaches to its implementation. The speaker was Fabian Wang, a prominent expert in the field of procurement management with more than 20 years of experience, an international expert, one of the most demanded in this field. The next day, a similar event for Singapore entrepreneurs was held at the Centre. That was a seminar of the Director for Procurement of Rostec State Corporation, Tatiana Gololobova, dedicated to the participation of foreign companies in government procurement in the Russian Federation. Such events, which are organized and held by the Russia-Singapore Business Council with the support of the State Corporation Rostec and other members of the Council, help to improve mutual understanding and intensify interaction between representatives of expert communities and business circles of Russia and Singapore, which is important when building long-term and long-term cooperation. These aspects are of particular relevance owing to the forthcoming conclusion of an agreement on a free trade zone between the EAEU and Singapore.

The Russia-Singapore Business Council seeks to establish interaction not only between business and expert, but also between cultural circles of Russia and Singapore. Simultaneously with the business mission of Russian enterprises in Singapore, there took place the Russian Film Week with the participance of such prominent filmmakers as Fedor Dobronravov, Vladimir Grammatikov, Alexander Kovtunets and Pavel Chukhrai. The opening ceremony and film screenings were attended by more than 3,000 spectators in total. Among them were residents of Singapore, tourists and diplomats.

Business, educational and cultural events held in Singapore on June 17-21 seriously contributed to the development of Russia-Singapore relations and made clearer the prospects for further cooperation. In addition to preliminary agreements on working on joint integration projects and organizing future business missions, there was made a decision on further cooperation in the field of culture. So, in view of the big success of the I Russian Film Week, it was decided to make this event annual. In addition, in October-December 2019 and in February 2020, with the support of the State Corporation Rostec, sport and cultural events will be held in Singapore, dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the Russian-Singapore Business Council.

Russian Film Week came to end in Singapore

Russian Film Week held in Singapore on June 17-20, 2019 is over, to the great regret of the audience. It was the first event of such format, the goal of which was to acquaint the Singapore audience with the best of modern Russian films. Already at the opening ceremony, which was attended by more than 900 people, it became clear that this Film Week would be not just a success, but a milestone in the development of Russian-Singaporean cooperation in the cultural sphere.

In total, more than 3,000 people attended film screenings, among them both residents of Singapore and tourists diplomats. Within the Russian Film Week, films of a wide variety of genres were presented to the audience: historical dramas “The Cold Tango” and “Little Soldier”, comedies “Once upon a time” and “I am Losing Weight” and, finally, a real Russian fairy tale “The Last Bogatyr”. Each of the films found its own special response in the hearts of viewers, many of whom attended all the film screenings, without missing any premiere.

The Russian Film Week was held with the participance of such prominent filmmakers as Fedor Dobronravov, Vladimir Grammatikov, Alexander Kovtunets and Pavel Chukhrai. Artists and film directors not only spoke to a Singapore audience, but also gave a number of interviews for print and online publications, held a master class at the Centre for Overseas Promotion of Russian high-tech companies and investment projects, and were able to establish contacts with their Singapore colleagues.

In view of such obvious success and warm reception from Singaporeans, the co-organizers of the Film Week decided to make this event annual. The Russia-Singapore Business Council invites all interested parties to participate in the preparation of the II Russian Film Week in Singapore, which will be held in 2020.

The top management of RSBC held talks with the Singapore side on the preparation of cultural and sport events which are going to be held in Singapore as part of the celebration of the 10^th anniversary of the Council. The events will take place in October-December 2019 and in February 2020 with the support of the State Corporation Rostec.

Art and sport bring people together, despite language barriers and distances. By supporting cultural exchange between Russia and Singapore, RSBC seeks to create new ties between countries, which will hopefully develop into a reliable partnership and strong friendship over time.

Rostec took part in CommunicAsia-2019 in Singapore

On June 17-20, 2019, CommunicAsia 2019, the key and most representative event in the field of telecommunications and information technologies in the Asia-Pacific region, took place in Singapore. The focus was on such topics as digital life, technology at the enterprise, changing ways of communication, business strategies and models, convergence, the Internet of Things, Smart Cities, etc.

With the support of the Centre for Overseas Promotion of Russian High-Tech Companies and the Presentation of investment projects, State Corporation Rostec took part in the exhibition. At the booth of Rostec, the latest developments and projects of the Corporation were represented, including the trade and service information B2B platform RSTrade.

New issue of “Russian Business Guide” magazine

“Russian Business Guide” is an information partner of the Russia-Singapore Business Council.

The next issue of RBG magazine is devoted to two regions – Nizhny Novgorod and Bryansk.

Nizhny Novgorod is historically established center of Russian and international trade. Such a definition region got due to famous Nizhny Novgorod fair. Today it is one of the largest industrial centers of Russia, where machinery, agricultural production, high technologies are actively developing. Due to its beneficial location, developed logistics and open government, Nizhny Novgorod remains very attractive for international investors.

Bryansk region is one of the most Western regions of Russia, which has been considered as a large industrial center. Times are changing and the Bryansk region is still considered as a region with high economic potential and developed industry. Here new modern and technological enterprises are being built. The region is actively developing agriculture, wood processing, production of construction materials and light industry.

Read the latest issue of RBG magazine:

http://www.rbgmedia.ru/files/rbg-68.pdf

A Procurement Seminar for Singapore entrepreneurs was held at the Centre for Overseas promotion

On June 19, 2019 a seminar dedicated to participation of foreign companies in Russian governmental procurement took place in the Centre for Overseas Promotion of Russian High-Tech Companies and the Presentation of investment projects. The seminar was held by Tatiana Gololobova, Procurement director of the State Corporation Rostec. This was the second seminar within educational programme provided by the Russia-Singapore Business Council within the business mission held in Singapore. The first seminar was organized on June 18 for the specialists from Rostec holdings and provided for them an opportunity to study the Singapore experience in the field of procurement.

Besides Tatiana Gololobova, to the audience spoke Nikolay Volobuev, Deputy CEO, State Corporation Rostec & Chairman, Russia-Singapore Business Council, Sergey Pronin, Deputy Chairman – Executive Director, Russia-Singapore Business Council, and Kirill Solntsev, Head, International Business and Marketing, executive structure of the Russia-Singapore Business Council. They touched upon issues related to the procurement practices of Russian state-owned companies and large private corporations, government regulation and antimonopoly policy, the system of control and monitoring of suppliers in enterprises, measures to maintain an effective subcontract, etc. Special attention was paid to legal issues – due diligence and compliance, which were described by the President of the Russian National Compliance Accociation, member of the Committee of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, member of the Expert Council of the State Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption Vladimir Balakin.

More than 20 Singaporean entrepreneurs interested in participating in Russian government procurement took part in the seminar. They noted the high level of organization of the event and the real benefits from the content of the seminar and personal acquaintance with Russian experts of such a high level.

The seminar and similar events organized and held by the Russia-Singapore Business Council with the support of еру State Corporation Rostec and other Council members, help to improve mutual understanding and intensify interaction between representatives of expert communities and business circles of Russia and Singapore, which is important when building a long-term and promising cooperation. These aspects are of particular relevance in the light of the forthcoming conclusion of an FTA between the EAEU and Singapore.

Seminar for Rostec holdings took place in the Centre for Overseas Promotion

On June 18, 2019, a seminar for representatives of a number of holdings of the State Corporation Rostec was held at the Centre Center for Overseas Promotion of Russian High-Tech Companies and the Presentation of investment projects. The seminar focused on key aspects of procurement practices and the latest approaches to its implementation.

Welcoming remarks at the beginning of the seminar were made by the heads of the delegation – Nikolay Volobuev, Deputy CEO of the State Corporation Rostec & Chairman of the Russia-Singapore Business Council; Sergey Pronin, Deputy Chairman – Executive Director of RSBC and Tatiana Gololobova, Procurement director of the State Corporation Rostec. A prominent Russian artist Vladimir Grammatikov, who arrived to participate in the Russian Film Week, which takes place these days in Singapore with the active support of RSBC, also welcomed the participants.

The speaker, Fabian Wang, is a recognized procurement specialist with over 20 years of experience in this field, international expert, one of the most demanded in this area. Mr Wang is a certified specialist of the world-known Association for Operations Management (APICS) and has a wide teaching experience. He prefers to combine lecturs, discussion and case studying.

This seminar was the second educational event that RSBC held at the Centre for Overseas Promotion. Such events play an important role in the exchange of experience between Russian and Singapore experts and contribute to the strengthening of partnership relations between the business communities of the two countries.

Russian Film Week has started in Singapore

The first Russian Film Week “Within the Family”, organized by the Russia-Singapore Business Council and the national program “Within the Family” with the support of Gazprom Marketing & Trading Singapore PT, started in Singapore.

Grand Opening Ceremony took place in Capitol Theatre on June 16. Among the participants were prominent actor and film producer Fedor Dobronravov, one of the most famous Russian film directors Pavel Chuhray, film director and creative producer of Walt Disney Company CIS Vladimir Grammatikov, President of the National Program “Within the Family”, director, actor and author of the festival “Ice Moscow” Alexander Kovtunets and many other figures of film industry. Welcoming speeches were пшмут by the Chairman of the Russia-Singapore Business Council, Deputy CEO of the State Corporation Rostec Nikolay Volobuev and CEO of Gazprom Marketing & Trading Singapore RT Serguei Edrenkine.

Film screenings within the Russian Film Week will be held June 17-20 at Golden Village Plaza.

Russia-Singapore cooperation in the field of culture is one of the priorities of RSBC. In November 2018, the Centre for Overseas Promotion of Russian High-Tech Companies and the Presentation of investment projects was opened in Singapore. The purpose of this Centre is to promote not only high technologies, but also the culture of Russia, and to increase the cultural exchange between Russia and Singapore.

Last year, a book was published in honor of the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Singapore. The authors of the book were Russian and Singapore specialists, including experts of RSBC. In November 2018, RSBC organized the holding of the Russian Music Days in Singapore. The Russian military orchestras performed a series of concert programmes that had significant success. All these events were organized with the support of the State Corporation Rostec.

The Opening Ceremony was attended by more than 900 spectators, among them – residents of Singapore as well as tourists and diplomates. No doubt that the Russian Film Week will be another milestone in the development of friendship and cooperation between Russia and Singapore.

Russia-Singapore Business Council and vCargo Cloud hold talks with EPINDUO

Russia-Singapore Business Council and vCargo Cloud held tripartite negotiations with representatives of EPINDUO, the largest platform for the sale of Russian goods in China, on the fields of SPIEF-2019.

During the negotiations, various areas of possible cooperation were discussed. In the B2B segment, the Chinese side was most interested in the presentation of products of Chinese manufacturers on the RSTrade platform, especially products of the manufactutrers that belong to the Sirius group, i.e. specializing primarily in the field of energy and electronics. In the B2C segment, the use of logistics tools for the integration solution of the RSTrade and CamelONE platforms for the supply of food to China from Russia was discussed.

The prospects for cooperation in the field of engineering and manufacturing, including contract manufacturing, were also negotiated. The Chinese side expressed interest in expanding the existing cooperation with enterprises of the State Corporation Rostec and other Russian companies specializing in the production and supply of equipment for the power industry, solar energy and biotechnology.

EPINDUO is a leading Chinese company selling Russian goods. Its cooperation with the Russia-Singapore Business Council and vCargo Cloud might become a new stage in the development of digital cross-border trade on the EAEU-China-ASEAN route.

Desmond Tay took part in in the discussion “EAEU-ASEAN”

On June 8, on the final day of SPIEF-2019, the EAEU-ASEAN business dialogue was held. Within the framework of the discussion, possible prospects for partnership between the EAEU and ASEAN were discussed, taking into account the opportunities offered by the Memorandum of Economic Cooperation, signed in November 2018. The possibilities and advantages that the EAEU opens up for business development, attracting foreign partners and investments, prospects for the development of trade between the blocks, as well as problems and challenges facing the development of trade and business interaction between the EAEU and ASEAN countries were examined.

Desmond Tay, co-founder and CEO of the Singapore-based company vCargo Cloud, took part in the discussion. Russia-Singapore Business Council actively cooperates with vCargo Cloud in the integration of the Russian trade and service B2B platform RSTrade and the logistics platform CamelONE, which is managed by vCargo Cloud and currently controls 12% of the logistics services market in Southeast Asia.

In his speech, Mr Tay noted the importance of digital platforms for the private sector, i.a. for companies involved in trade between the EAEU and ASEAN. In his opinion, government and supra-government structures in both regions should promote and encourage such initiatives. As an example of a digital platform that can contribute to the effective interaction of two units in the field of digital commerce, Mr Tay cited the platform RSTrade.

Mr Tay noted that the three key areas in the operation of any digital platform were compliance, logistics and the financial sector. In the case of compliance, this refers to the active interaction of platforms with government agencies and organizations, primarily with the customs services of various countries. In the field of logistics, the key task is to reduce transportation costs. Tools of the financial sector also need to be developed and optimized – for example, recently there has clearly been a tendency to abandon traditional bulky tools, such as a letter of credit, in favor of financial technologies (FinTech).

At the end of his speech, Mr Tay stressed that digital platforms could be of great importance for small and medium-sized businesses in terms of improving their competitiveness.

Russia-Singapore Business Council and Non-commercial partnership “International Association of Developers, Manufacturers and Users of Medical Equipment” signed the Cooperation Agreement

Russia-Singapore Business Council and Non-commercial partnership “International Association of Developers, Manufacturers and Users of Medical Equipment” (IAMT) signed a Cooperation Agreement.

The Agreement was signed within the SPIEF-2019.

The parties agreed on cooperation in order to promote the products of IAMT using the resources of the trade and service information B2B platform RSTrade. A digital specialized catalog will be created on the Platform in accordance with the classifier of medical equipment provided by IAMT.

IAMT unites organizations working in the field of medical devices circulation. At present, organizations – members of IAMT produce in total more than 8000 items of medical devices. IAMT actively cooperates with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Roszdravnadzor, the Chamber of Commerce, as well as with medical institutions of the Russian Federation and other countries. The use of the resources of the platform RSTrade, integrated with the Singapore logistics platform CamelONE, will open IAMT wide opportunities to enter the markets of Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific countries.