"Thirty-five years ago, Singapore established diplomatic relations with China. I was probably one of the first beneficiaries of the bilateral ties," noted Lan Weiguang, President of the Singapore-China Association for the Advancement of Science & Technology (SCAAST), in an exclusive interview with the South.
At the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore, Lan recounted the friendly exchanges between the two countries by sharing his personal experiences in Singapore.
He anticipated continued cooperation with China across multiple domains, focusing on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
Rising to fame in Singapore via membrane technology
Water has been a pressing concern for Singapore since its founding, which occupied Lee Kuan Yew, the Prime Minister at that time. In 1987, he recognized the trend of technological advancement and believed that Singapore should find a way to achieve self-sufficiency in its water supply.
As an island surrounded by the sea, naturally, desalination was its first option. "I was a university professor in Xiamen back then, teaching seawater chemistry, with an understanding of seawater, marine, and environmental chemistry," Lan recalled.
After diplomatic relations were established between China and Singapore in 1990, Lan received a scholarship to study Chinese and went to Singapore for a doctorate in marine environmental chemistry.
During his application for funding, he proposed using membrane technology for seawater desalination in Singapore. "We couldn't use the distillation method popular in the Middle East. We needed a novel approach," he told South reporters.
One night, while pondering in the laboratory, Lan had a Eureka moment.
After flushing the toilet, he suddenly realized that the depth of the dirty flushed water is very low as it contains less salt. When the depth is low, its energy consumption is low.
"Why not turn seawater desalination into wastewater utilization?" he thought. This was the origin of Singapore's NEWater, which later became a national treasure. Due to this technology, he rose to fame in Singapore and later founded Suntar International Group, a Singapore-based membrane solutions provider.
The mission of SCAAST
Many professors, experts, and academics in Singapore, as Lan observed, have developed technologies like him. However, the industrial chain in Singapore is relatively short with few application scenarios.
As a matchmaker, SCAAST, since its establishment in 2009, has been a great platform for the academic and business communities of both sides.
The association helps Singaporean professors find opportunities for their technologies to develop in China. Additionally, the technologies of Chinese scientists and entrepreneurs can be exported to the world via SCAAST.
"I am a witness, insider, and participant in the history of Singapore-China relations," added the president of SCAAST.
High hopes for collaboration between Singapore and GBA
Regarding this, Lan expressed optimism for the GBA, especially the cooperation and exchanges between the GBA and Singapore. He was very confident that there would be many opportunities for collaboration.
Using the green economy as an example, Lan pointed out that the GBA has seen significant development over the past more than 40 years of reform and opening up.
From previous end-of-pipe treatment to current production processes, how can the region reduce pollution emissions, increase production profits, improve product quality, and reduce resource consumption?
"Singapore's technology has great potential in the GBA," he claimed.
Reporter: Zhang Ruijun
Video & Poster: Pan Jiajun
Script: Zhang Ruijun
Cameraman: Pan Jiajun
Editor: Yuan Zixiang, James Campion, Shen He
