By Leong Weng Kam, Senior Writer

CHINA'S first centre for Singapore studies will open in Shenzhen University in Guangdong province today.

To mark the opening, the university is hosting a two-day international conference on 'Singapore's experience and China's 30th year of reforms' today and tomorrow. Seven speakers from Singapore will present papers, together with 30 others from China and Hong Kong.

Among them are Professor Zheng Yongnian, director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore (NUS), and his research director, Prof John Wong, who has been appointed honorary director for the new centre.

Prof Wong will be speaking on lessons from the Singapore-Suzhou Industrial Park, which marks its 15th anniversary next year.

Others include veteran economist Lee Soo Ann, now a senior fellow at NUS, who will speak on Singapore's industrialisation experience, and former Member of Parliament Lau Ping Sum, executive director at the People's Action Party (PAP) headquarters, who will give an overview of the party's renewal programme.

Mr Lim Jim Koon, chief editor of Lianhe Zaobao, will describe the role of the media in Singapore's national development.

The new centre is headed by Shenzhen University professor Lu Yuanli, 47, who told The Straits Times yesterday: 'Growing interest in Singapore's system of governance among Chinese students and academics in recent years has prompted the setting up of our centre.'

At Shenzhen University alone, at least 10 research students are working on papers about various aspects of Singapore's government and society.

Prof Lu himself has written several books on Singapore. He said the new centre will kick off with studies on Singapore's politics and culture before moving on to other areas.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on 1 Nov, 2008.