SBF and SPH extend pact on 'Belt & Road' portal

ONE year following its official launch, the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) have signed two agreements to widen the scope of their tie-up on the "Belt & Road" Chinese portal.

Both parties signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) to expand the portal's news content plus the addition of an events calendar and the development of an English version of the portal.

The "Belt and Road" portal is South-east Asia's first comprehensive website that provides individuals and businesses with the latest developments and perspectives on Singapore and the region as well as insights on opportunities and risks, said SBF and SPH in a joint statement.

Since the launch in March 2016, the Chinese portal has drawn 7.5 million page views, largely from the Greater China region, Singapore, Asean and the United States.

The portal's English version hopes to widen the net of international readers and the reach by leveraging the demand of "Belt and Road"-related news and providing a Western community's perspective on the initiative.

The MOUs were signed by SBF chief executive Ho Meng Kit and SPH head of Chinese Media Group Lee Huay Leng and witnessed by SBF chairman SS Teo and SPH deputy CEO Anthony Tan.

"The initiative is projected to involve 65 countries constituting 4.4 billion people and about 30 per cent of global GDP (gross domestic product). It offers great business opportunities, so we strongly encourage Singapore businesses to visit the portal often to gain insights and explore possibilities," said Mr Teo.

Describing the "Belt and Road" initiative as a "significant bilateral cooperation" between Singapore and China, Mr Tan said that the English version, to be unveiled later this year, will help to strengthen the understanding of this initiative for readers and enterprises, and create more business opportunities in the region.