PM Lawrence Wong at the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s 120th Anniversary Dinner

新加坡中华总商会会长高泉庆先生、
董事会成员、
各位来宾，
女士们，先生们：

大家晚上好！

我很高兴今晚能和各位见面，一起欢庆新加坡中华总商会成立120周年。

120周年双甲子，是一个意义非凡的里程碑。

能走过120年的机构，为数不多。

能够不断求新求变、与时俱进，保持影响力的，更是少之又少。

在这里，我要感谢总商会历届董事会、秘书处和广大会员，为新加坡的发展作出的贡献。

谢谢大家多年来的努力和付出！谢谢你们！

总商会120年来汇聚了一代又一代的商界领袖，共同推动贸易发展、拓展海外联系，并为新加坡经济奠定坚实基础。

总商会更在商业领域以外，为我国做出许多贡献。

总商会成立于1906年。当时的新加坡和现在完全不同。

那时，新加坡还是个英国殖民地，由来自不同地方的移民组成。华族社群也按照不同的方言和籍贯，形成各自的群体。

总商会把不同的方言籍贯群体，联系起来，代表华社和殖民地政府沟通，也为华社关心的课题发声。

新加坡独立以后，总商会团结华社的力量，积极投入国家建设，不仅支持我国的工业化发展，还在建国初期的1968年，为国防基金筹得超过100万元。

可见，每当国家面临挑战时，总商会关注的不只是商界的利益，更是国家的需要，以及如何为国家出一份力。

所以，总商会不仅见证了我国的发展，更以“国家兴亡，匹夫有责”的精神，为国家的繁荣和进步，作出了重要贡献。

我希望，总商会能够将这份难能可贵的精神延续下去。我们常说：长江后浪推前浪。这句话有它的道理。

社会要不断进步，年轻一代就必须挺身而出。但这并不意味着，“前浪”就应该退到一旁。

很多商界的资深领袖，打拼了很多年，积累了丰富的经验。

他们经历过经济起伏，也克服过各种危机，从中吸取了宝贵的经验。

这些宝贵的经验和判断，不是光靠读书，或使用人工智能，就能掌握的。

至于年轻领袖，他们经常有新的想法，希望闯出一片天。

他们可能会觉得，一些传统的做法已经不合时宜，希望有更多空间尝试新事物。

所以，各代领袖之间难免会出现一些摩擦。

因此，我们应该重视的不只是交棒接班。更重要的是如何让不同世代携手合作，发挥各自的长处。

资深领袖要给年轻人机会和空间，让他们成长，并承担起更大的责任。

年轻领袖也要虚心向前辈学习。

长江可以奔流不息，不只是因为后浪推前浪，更是因为前浪和后浪汇聚在一起，不分你我，形成一股不断向前的力量。

稍后，我将把一副写着“共谱新章”的牌匾交给总商会。

这四个字，代表了我对总商会未来的期待：大家一起努力、发挥各自的力量，共同开创未来。

总商会能够走过120年，靠的是一代又一代人的努力，以及大家齐心协力、不断求新求变的精神。

我相信，只要大家继续取长补短，携手同行， 就一定能够为总商会，也为新加坡，谱写更加美好的新篇章。谢谢大家！

Once again, good evening, everyone and it is very good to join all of you for SCCCI’s 120^th Anniversary. I welcome all our guests here, especially our overseas representatives for this event. And I want to thank all SCCCI leaders, past and present, for your contributions. Thank you very much. All of you here are business leaders. You know how difficult it is to build a successful business.

But you also know that achieving success is one thing; sustaining it is another. In fact, sustaining success is perhaps even more difficult than achieving the original success. Markets can change, competitors emerge, and what worked well yesterday may no longer work tomorrow. So how do we keep renewing ourselves, and remain successful from one generation to the next? Businesses ask these questions.

Singapore faces the same question. We have inherited here a country that is safer, stronger and more prosperous than before. But we cannot just assume that what has worked well for us in the past will continue to work in the future. We must keep renewing Singapore, so that the next generation can have every opportunity to do even better.

And let me suggest three areas for us to work on together.

First, we must keep transforming. And we must do so before circumstances force us to change.

Every business leader understands this.

As the Chairman said just now, new technologies, especially AI, are already changing how companies operate and compete. What we see now with AI is a technology that was not available to us just five years ago, and in just this very short time, AI is already everywhere. But this is just the beginning. AI will only get better in the years to come.

We cannot stop these changes. Nor should we try. Our task is to get ahead of them. And if you look at Singapore’s history, through every technological revolution, from computers to the internet, we have always emerged ahead and emerged stronger, and that is why we are determined and we are confident that we can do so again with the AI revolution.

SCCCI has been a valuable partner in this effort. You are helping SMEs adopt AI and digital solutions. You are helping companies adopt sustainable practices. And you are helping our workers acquire new skills.

So I encourage you to keep up these efforts. And the Government will likewise continue to support our businesses and workers through these changes.

But real transformation is not just about adopting the latest AI tool. It is not just saying everyone has subscribed to ChatGPT, and we have AI now. You can introduce AI into your company and still carry on doing business in very much the same way as before. The bigger gains will come when companies rethink their processes, redesign their jobs, or even change their business models.

And all that requires a change in mindset. We must be prepared to question assumptions that have served us well in the past. Which is often hardest when things are going well. Because success can make us comfortable, and eventually, complacent.

So it is important we uphold the qualities that brought us here – hard work, enterprise, long-term thinking, while remaining willing to change established ways of doing things. We must build on yesterday’s success, without being held back by it.

Second, we must keep looking outward and building new connections.

Because Singapore has never had the option of turning inward.

Our domestic market is just too small. And so our companies have always had to look beyond our shores for customers, partners, ideas and opportunities.

SCCCI understood this from its earliest days. Trade and overseas connections were part of your purpose from the start. Over many decades, you have built extensive networks abroad, particularly in China. And these remain valuable. We should continue to deepen these links.

But now the global economy is changing, it is becoming more fragmented. And trade and investment flows are shifting. Businesses are having to rethink where and how they operate. Therefore, we must broaden our networks and diversify our markets too.

China will remain an important market for Singapore and for our businesses. At the same time, new opportunities are opening up across ASEAN, India, the Middle East, even Africa, and Latin America.

Many of our companies ventured into China decades ago, when the market was still relatively unfamiliar and difficult to navigate. You had to learn new ways of doing business, you had to pay your tuition fee, sometimes quite expensive tuition fees. You had to build relationships from scratch, and persevere through many setbacks. But those who made the effort established a strong foothold, and benefited over the decades and years as China's economy grew.

We must now bring that same spirit of enterprise to new markets abroad. Some may seem distant or unfamiliar today. But if we wait until these markets are well established and everyone has already moved in, then we will miss out on the best opportunities. So we must be prepared to venture out early, take calculated risks, and establish our presence for the long term.

And again, the Government will support our companies in these efforts.

At the same time, I am glad that SCCCI has established a new International Advisory Panel (IAP), with Minister Chee Hong Tat as Patron, to support our companies in their internationalisation efforts. Several of our IAP members are here, and we thank you for your contributions and service. Thank you very much.

In this fragmented world, we cannot afford to depend on just a few markets or partners. The wider and more diverse our networks, the more resilient our economy will be. Every new market we enter, every new partnership we establish, every new door we open will create more opportunities for the next generation of Singapore businesses.

Third, we must plan deliberately for renewal, and ensure that every generation has the opportunity to contribute.

For many businesses, especially family-owned enterprises, succession is one of the most difficult challenges. Actually, succession is the biggest challenge everywhere, including in politics. But it is a challenge in business too. A founder would have spent decades building the business. The company reflects the founder’s judgment, the relationships he has built, the identity of the founder. It is very hard to hand over the reins.

But holding on for too long carries its own risks. Younger leaders may not have the chance to develop their capabilities. New ideas may struggle to take root. And the business may find itself less prepared for the future.

So renewal cannot be left to chance. It must be planned for, and nurtured deliberately.

Senior leaders must be prepared to mentor their successors, share their experience and networks and progressively give them more responsibility. Give them the space to exercise their own judgment, make their own decisions, and sometimes even make mistakes.

Younger leaders, in turn, must earn that trust. They should bring fresh ideas and new capabilities. And with technology and AI at their fingertips, younger leaders may sometimes think they know better than their seniors. But they should be humble. They should be willing to listen and learn from their seniors, and understand what made the business successful in the first place. The aim is not to discard what came before, but to build on it and take the business forward.

All this applies not only to individual companies, but also to institutions like SCCCI. The Chamber can play an important role — connecting younger and older business leaders, facilitating mentorship, and creating opportunities for the next generation to step forward.

Because the true test of successful leadership is not what we achieve during our lifetime. It is whether we leave behind an organisation that is stronger, and a new generation of leaders who are ready to take it forward.

For 120 years, SCCCI has renewed itself from one generation to the next. The Chamber of 2026 is very different from the Chamber founded in 1906.

But through all these changes, something fundamental has remained constant – and that is the spirit of enterprise, the willingness to look beyond one’s immediate interests, and the commitment to contribute to Singapore and to our nation's progress.

This is what has sustained SCCCI for 120 years. And it is what will carry the Chamber forward.

Singapore faces the same task. We must keep adapting to a changing world, finding new opportunities, and preparing for our future. And this is our responsibility for the next generation — not just to pass on what we have built, but to give them the confidence, capabilities and the opportunities to build something even better.

So on that note, I look forward to the Chamber continuing the strong partnership with the Government and with Singapore, and helping to work together to shape Singapore’s next chapter. Congratulations once again on your 120^th anniversary. Thank you and have a wonderful night.