The Chinese version of a joint report on urban development, co-written by the Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC) and Singapore’s Ministry of National Development (MND), was released at a forum on Building an International Livable City at the China Development Forum on March 19.

The new report, Challenges and Reform of Urban Development: China and Singapore’s Experience, not only focuses on review and analysis of historical experience, but also emphasizes in-depth exploration of the challenges to reform, which leads to some practical suggestions. It has five chapters. Chapters I-IV explain the progress, experience and challenges of urban development in China and Singapore from four perspectives, namely, urbanization progress, urban planning and governance, construction of public housing and urban infrastructure financing. Chapter V makes conclusions about the experience of urban development in both countries.

2015 is a year of special significance as China and Singapore celebrate the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations. On July 2, 2015, President Xi Jinping and President Tony Tan Keng Yam of Singapore jointly witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) between DRC and MND to enhance the two sides’ cooperation in urban development and the construction of livable cities. After signing the MoU, a research team of senior experts in related fields was set up by DRC and MND. The team spent half a year doing further research on the basis of previous documents and then launched the new report.

The English version of Challenges and Reform of Urban Development: China and Singapore’s Experience will come out at the 6th World Cities Summit, to be hosted by Singapore’s MND this July.

The launch ceremony was hosted by Wei Jianing, inspector of DRC’s Department of Macroeconomic Research. Wang Yiming, Vice-President of DRC, RenXingzhou, former Director-General of DRC’s Institute of Market Economy, Liu Thai Ker, Chairman of the Centre for Livable Cities of MND, KhooTengChye, Executive Director of the Centre for Liveable Cities and Li Li, Vice Mayor of the People's Government of Huanggang Municipality were present and delivered keynote speeches.