Countries must work together to build future-ready, liveable cities: Chee Hong Tat

Countries must work together to build cities that are future ready and build a good living environment for their residents, said Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat.

He made this comment at the 4th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)-China Ministerial Roundtable on Construction and Housing in Ipoh, Malaysia on Saturday (Aug 1).

Themed "Sustainable Cities, Quality Housing, Cohesive Communities", this year's roundtable discussed ideas on how the design of towns, building and homes can shape liveable, resilient and sustainable cities, Chee wrote in a Facebook post that day.

Referring to the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, the national development minister noted that the collaboration has shown how countries can go beyond exchanging ideas to co-creating solutions that would benefit businesses and people. 

At the regional level, Asean and China must continue to strengthen our collaborations in areas of mutual interest, he said.

And at the global level, platforms such as the World Cities Summit, which gathers city leaders from across the world, provide useful opportunities to learn from one another, he added.

Chee, who is on a four-day working visit to Malaysia that ends on Aug 2, also met with the forum's host and co-convener, Malaysia Minister of Housing and Local Government Nga Kor Ming.

He reiterated the two countries' common goal of enhancing the liveability of their cities.

Chee said he discussed deepening mutual learning in areas such as housing, landscaping, construction technology, and urban planning and renewal with his Malaysian counterpart.

The national development minister also met with Chinese Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Ni Hong on the sidelines of the roundtable, and exchanged views on ways to deepen and broaden bilateral cooperation, including for Tianjin Eco-City.

"We will continue to work closely with China, fellow Asean member states and other international counterparts, to build cities that both our current and future generations will be proud to call home," Chee said.

Earlier on July 30, Chee also held separate meetings with Malaysia Economy Minister Akmal Nasir and and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Hannah Yeoh.

He discussed the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone with Akmal, and the role of placemaking in increasing footfall and dynamism with Yeoh.

"Singapore and Malaysia are close friends and there are many areas that we can learn from each other and collaborate for mutual benefit. 

"I look forward to furthering our partnership across various fronts and working together to achieve positive outcomes for our people," Chee said of the meetings.

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