本期封面故事

Singapore Strides Ahead多元新加坡 經濟向前衝

In outmuscling Asian powerhouse Hong Kong in a recent competitiveness report published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Singapore has come into its own. The city-state finished top in Asia and third in the world in the overall rankings, sponsored by Citibank. It was also joint top for physical capital and financial maturity. The European Development Bank has predicted that Singapore will attract more than US$12 billion in fixed asset investments in 2012. Meanwhile, the economy is expected to grow by up to 3 percent, following a 4.9-percent rise last year.

Behind Singapore's success is an ability to attract talent, investment and capital. How has it managed this?

Foreign residents make up a third of Singapore's population of 5.2 million, and the city's livability is a big factor in this. Singapore is one of the world's safest cities and boasts world-class transportation and infrastructure. Stringent anti-pollution measures and a series of clean-up campaigns have created one of Asia's cleanest urban environments. Add to that tax cuts to spur investment, low unemployment and lean bureaucracy, and the attraction is obvious. For medium-sized enterprises, the city is a strategic location for expansion into international markets. “It's a terrific place to do business,” says Michael Zink, Citibank's country officer in Singapore. “It's a very open and global city, and we have the opportunity to compete fairly and evenly against the domestic players.”

新加坡在經濟學人智庫最近發表的一份競爭力報告中擊敗亞洲強者香港，展現雄厚實力。由花旗銀行所贊助的這項整體排名中，這個城邦國家名列亞洲第一、全球第三。在有形資本與金融成熟度方面新加坡也雙雙位居榜首。歐洲發展銀行已預測新加坡在二○一二年將吸引超過120億美元的固定資產投資。同時，今年的經濟成長率預期會達3%，接續去年4.9%的成長表現。

新加坡成功的背後是吸引人才、投資與資金的能力。它是怎麼辦到的？

外國居民佔新加坡520萬人口的三分之一，而這座城市的適合居住佔極大因素。新加坡是全球最安全的城市之一，且自豪於世界級的交通與基礎建設。嚴格的防污染措施和一連串的清潔活動打造出亞洲最乾淨的都會環境之一。加上激勵投資的減稅、低失業率與精益的政府系統，其吸引力昭然若揭。對中型企業來說，新加坡是讓他們拓展進入國際市場的戰略位置。「這裡是做生意的絕佳地點，」花旗銀行駐新加坡全國業務主管辛邁豪表示。「新加坡是個非常開放且具全球性的城市，我們有機會和國內的企業公平競爭。」