Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong pushes for foreign talent, says LGBT people welcome

Lee told the Singapore Tech Forum that talent is crucial to become a regional powerhouse, and that gay and lesbian people are ‘valued members of society’

The prime minister said that while US-China tensions exist, ‘we try our best to keep our links to both sides and to do business with both sides’

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Lee Hsien Loong’s administration is betting the technology industry can help invigorate Singapore’s economy. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 1:36pm, 18 Nov 2020Updated: 5:37pm, 18 Nov 2020

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong believes the city state must welcome foreign talent to realise its goal of becoming a technology centre, while acknowledging the tensions this could foster with the local population.

The tiny country of 5.7 million must place technology, which proved instrumental in quelling Covid-19 this year, at the heart of its future development, Lee said in a keynote speech at the Singapore Tech Forum, an annual gathering for professionals from Silicon Valley to Asia.

An island nation with few natural resources but an open business climate, Singapore is trying to portray itself as a regional technology powerhouse backed by a supportive government. Under Lee, Singapore has sought to leverage these advantages to welcome foreign investment and global talent.

“We are trying to build a society which is different, where opportunities abound, where we make full use of tech and yet human spirits will flourish,” Lee said. “That requires talents of Singaporeans, but also, we welcome talents from around the world to come and join us and help us build this society.”

On Tuesday, Lee again touted the “Tech.Pass programme” that aims to draw top talent to Singapore. The programme will allow 500 highly qualified individuals – “the movers and shakers of the tech world” – to secure a new type of visa to start and operate more than one company and become an investor, consultant or mentor for local start-ups.

Tech companies already regard Singapore as a springboard to the rest of Southeast Asia. Photo: AP

US tech giants such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and Salesforce.com already regard Singapore as a springboard to the rest of Southeast Asia, one of the world’s fastest-growing internet arenas. Chinese tech behemoths such as Tencent Holdings and Bytedance are also building up their presence in Singapore after setbacks in the US and India.

While tensions between the US and China exist, “we try our best to keep our links to both sides and to do business with both sides, with Alibaba and Tencent on one side, and FAANGs on the other side”, Lee said.