DPM Gan Kim Yong at the SCCCI Spring Reception 2026

Please scroll down for the English translation of the Chinese transcript.

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尊敬的高泉庆会长，李奕贤主席， 我的内阁同僚和各位国会同僚，还有大家、各位朋友，各位商家的领袖们，大家新年好。

2025年，新加坡经济交出了一份好于预期的成绩单。

我国全年国内生产总值增长大约有5%，通胀也明显地平稳下来。

这要感谢企业和员工们的努力，也体现了我们经济的韧性和适应能力。

关税的压力和贸易局势的变化，不仅推高营业成本，也增加了前景的不稳定性。许多企业不得不重新评估策略、调整供应链和市场的布局，甚至要面对短期的冲击。

正是在这样的环境下，新加坡中华总商会和各行业商协会的角色显得尤为重要。商会贴近企业、在听取反馈，协助企业应对变化方面发挥了重要的作用。

2025年让我们看到人工智能已经不再只是未来的趋势，而是形成了当下经济发展的基础。

AI人工智能正在重塑各行各业的运作方式和工作形式。

对企业而言，AI 不只是提高效率的工具，而是影响竞争力的关键因素；对员工而言，AI 改变了技能需求和职业发展的途径。

我们也看到商会在这方面的努力。

新加坡中华总商会去年推出“中小企业 AI 体验计划”，通过实务工作坊和一对一辅导，帮助中小企业在实际运营中采用 AI，而不必裹足不前。

展望未来，我们必须坦诚面对一个事实：不定性、波动性和冲击性，将成为常态。

 放眼未来，全球的竞争加剧、科技演进加速， 人口结构变化也将持续。

在这众多不确定因素中，依然存在机会让企业不但能够生存，而且能够茁壮成长。关键在于三点。

第一，企业必须主动转型，借着 AI提高生产力，并要超越对人力资源的局限。

总理兼财政部长在预算案中宣布政府将加大力度支持企业运用 AI 推动转型。

我们的重点不仅在于科技本身，而是要帮助企业把 AI 具体地使用在业务的流程、运营管理和决策当中，解决实际的问题，来提高生产力。

我们会帮助企业制定合适的应用场景、引入合适的解决方案、重组流程和工作的岗位，并逐步建立内在的能力。

政府也将继续通过相关企业发展津贴和工具，与企业和行业伙伴携手合作，降低企业采用 AI 的门槛和风险。

这不仅是技术升级，更是流程、工作岗位和管理方式的重新设计。

在这方面，中华总商会旗下的中小企业中心多年来一直持续地协助中小企业进行业务诊断、流程改造和能力提升，不断帮助企业落实转型，做出了非常重要的贡献。

第二，企业要放眼区域的市场和国际的市场。

虽然我们会致力推动国内经济的增长，海外经济市场将有许多的增长机会。

但在当前更复杂、更分化的全球环境中，企业在海外拓展业务是有挑战的， 往往需要面对不同的法规要求、不熟悉的商业惯例和更激烈的竞争，也更容易受到外来的打击。

因此，政府将进一步加强支持企业开展海外的业务。

我们将协助企业进入新市场，也支持企业在现有海外市场中深化业务的布局，帮助企业在不同的市场中扎稳脚步、持续经营和发展。

同时，政府也将继续支持企业应对不同国家和地区的监管要求，并协助企业筹集海外业务所需的融资，包括贸易融资和固定资产的投资，以支持规模更大、资本需求更高的海外项目。

 我们也将持续深化和扩大新加坡的贸易与经济伙伴关系，通过拓展和升级自由贸易协定、发展新的合作框架，并加强与不同地区伙伴的关系，为企业打开更多市场的通道，同时分散市场和供应链风险，强化整体的韧性。

新加坡中华总商会长在过去120年以来长期地协助会员企业走向海外，通过海外考察、企业交流和对接活动，帮助企业更好地了解不同的市场，降低拓展海外业务的不确定性，所作出的贡献真的是值得表扬的。

第三，也是最重要的一点，企业必须持续栽培员工，带动员工一起转型，砥砺前行。

面对AI应用加速下，我们不能假设员工的技能会自动地跟上，也不能假设新的工作会自然地出现。

政府将聚焦于工作岗位和技能培训。经济增长必须带来优质的工作岗位和可持续的职业发展机会。

政府将继续支持企业进行工作形式转型和技能提升，并与企业和工会紧密合作，及时协助员工能够顺利地过渡。

商会和行业协会同样发挥着重要的作用。新加坡中华总商会所设立的商团委员会转型中心，协助行业协会推动数码化和 AI的 项目，在提升企业能力同时，带动员工一起提升技能。

结语：稳中前行，共创未来

各位来宾，今年是马年。马象征着力量、耐力与持续前行。希望我们的企业能够生机勃勃，新加坡的经济充满活力。

在这瞬息不断的环境中，新加坡企业并不是在孤军作战。政府会继续与商会、行业协会和企业紧密地合作。

只要我们勇于转型、放眼世界、继续培训人才，我有绝对的信心，新加坡的企业能够在蜕变中把握新的机遇。

在这里让我祝愿大家马到功成，新年顺遂，事业更上一层楼。

谢谢大家。

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My Cabinet colleagues,
President, SCCCI, Mr Kho Choon Keng,
Chairman, Business China, Mr Lee Yi Shyan,
Ladies and gentlemen

Happy Chinese New Year to all of you.

In 2025, Singapore’s economy delivered a better-than-expected performance. Against a backdrop of heightened trade tensions, supply chain restructuring, and rapid technological change, our GDP grew by around 5%, while inflation moderated significantly.

This reflects the hard work of our businesses and workers, and also shows the resilience and adaptability of our economy.

Tariff-related and changing trade conditions not only pushed up operating costs for businesses, but also increased uncertainty. Many firms had to adjust supply chains and market strategies, sometimes at short-term cost.

It is precisely in such an environment that chambers like the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry play a critical role — staying close to businesses, understanding ground concerns, and helping firms navigate uncertainty.

2025 showed that AI is no longer just a future trend, but a foundation for economic development.

AI is reshaping industries and jobs. For companies, it is no longer just about efficiency, but competitiveness. For workers, it changes skill requirements and career pathways.

We have also seen SCCCI step up in this area. Its ‘AI Experience for SMEs’ Programme, launched last year, provides hands-on workshops and one-to-one advisory support to help SMEs adopt AI in practical, business-relevant ways.

Looking ahead, we should be clear-eyed: uncertainty, volatility, and disruption will remain part of the landscape.

Global competition, technological acceleration, and demographic shifts will persist.

Even in such an environment, businesses can not only survive but even thrive. This depends on three things.

First, businesses must transform and leverage AI to raise productivity and overcome manpower constraints.

The Prime Minister and Minister for Finance announced in his Budget speech that the Government will step up support to help businesses transform with AI.

Our focus is not just on promoting technology adoption, but on helping firms apply AI meaningfully across business processes, operations and decision-making to solve real problems and raise productivity.

We will support companies in identifying suitable use cases, adopting appropriate solutions, redesigning workflows and jobs, and gradually building internal capabilities. Through the relevant enterprise support schemes and tools, we will continue to work with firms and industry partners to reduce the barriers and risks of AI adoption.

This is not just a technology upgrade, but a redesign of processes, jobs, and management practices.

Here, the SME Centre@SCCCI continues to support SMEs through business diagnostics, advisory services, and capability upgrading — helping firms realise their transformation plans.

Second, businesses should look beyond Singapore’s shores. Even as our domestic market continues to grow and mature, many growth opportunities lie overseas. But in today’s more complex and fragmented global environment, expanding abroad often has it challenges – it means dealing with different regulatory requirements, business practices, and more intense competition, while being more exposed to external shocks.

The Government will therefore strengthen support for business to internationalise.

We will support companies to enter new markets, as well as to deepen their activities in existing overseas markets, so that they can establish a more sustained and meaningful presence abroad.

At the same time, we will continue to support businesses in navigating different regulatory environments and securing the financing needed for overseas activities, including trade and fixed asset investments, especially for larger or more capital-intensive ventures.

We will continue to diversify and deepen Singapore’s trade and economic partnerships. By expanding and upgrading our free trade agreements, developing new forms of cooperation, and strengthening links with partners across different regions, we will open up more market opportunities for our businesses, while diversifying markets and supply chains and strengthening resilience.

Even as we put in our best efforts to grow our economy, many growth opportunities lie overseas. SCCCI has long supported its members in venturing overseas through overseas missions and business exchanges, helping firms better understand different markets and reduce uncertainty as they expand abroad. These efforts are commendable.

Third — and most importantly — businesses must continue investing in their workers and transform together with them.

In an era of rapid AI adoption, we cannot assume that skills will keep pace automatically, or that new jobs will emerge on their own.

The Government will focus on jobs and skills training. Economic growth must lead to good jobs and sustainable career pathways. We will continue supporting firms in job redesign and skills upgrading, working closely with employers and unions to help workers transition smoothly as roles evolve.

Chambers and trade associations also play a role. SCCCI’s TACOM Transformation Centre supports trade associations in driving digitalisation and AI initiatives that upgrade firms while uplifting their workforce.

This is the Year of the Horse — a symbol of strength, endurance, and forward momentum. I hope that this year, our businesses will thrive and Singapore’s economy will be full of vitality.

In a changing environment, our businesses are not alone. The Government will continue working closely with our chambers, trade associations, and enterprises.

SCCCI has long been a valued partner, walking alongside businesses in transformation, internationalisation, and workforce development.

By embracing transformation, exploring opportunities beyond Singapore, and investing in our people, I am confident our enterprises can find new opportunities amid change.

I wish everyone success, good health, and prosperity in the year ahead. Thank you.