Chapter 131 Meet a Close Friend From National University
At that time, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in Singapore had not yet been established. The labor pass WP currently held by Li Xiaofan was managed by the Ministry of Labor, while the employment pass EP with a monthly salary of more than 1,200 Singapore dollars was managed by the Singapore Immigration Department.
Later, as prices increased, the Singaporean government's monthly salary requirements for EP passes also continued to increase, from 1,200 yuan to 1,500 yuan, 2,000 Singapore dollars... In Li Xiaofan's memory, before, the Singapore Ministry of Manpower's requirements for EP passes The application threshold has been raised from a monthly salary of 3,600 yuan to 3,900 Singapore dollars.
Just look at the two centralized management departments of WP and EP passes at that time, and you will know that WP labor pass holders are just passers-by in Singapore during a special period, and they are only temporary foreign labor forces needed during the period of rapid economic development in Singapore, just like domestic workers. "temporary workers" and "migrant workers", and employment pass EP holders with high salaries are the new immigrant talent pool that the Singapore government really welcomes.
Tang Xinyi urged: "Fan, then act quickly! I feel that for a talent like you, who has good English, strong ability, broad knowledge, and business acumen, if the Singapore Immigration Department does not grant you an EP pass, then they My eyes are really blind!"
"Haha, you may be in the eye of the beholder and think I'm good at everything. But your officials at the Singapore Immigration Department don't believe in tears. They don't judge and approve based on their feelings, but based on the applicant's diploma and background. Yes! By the way, can I borrow the laptop on your desk?”
"Okay, just take it. What kind of business contract do you need to draw up if you plan to take it?"
"No, I plan to draft a business plan for our Singapore Yifan Pte Ltd and submit it to the Immigration Department to apply for a self-employed EP permit!"
Tang Xinyi asked curiously: "Then what do you plan to write about, about the import business of sunglasses and the re-export trade business of daily plastic products?"
"My current business plan envisions that in addition to developing the optometry industry related to sunglasses and myopia glasses, as well as the re-export trade business of daily necessities, I may focus on writing about the upcoming Internet industry!"
"Internet industry?"
"It's the Internet!"
"Oh, it turns out that the Internet is the Internet!"
On weekdays, Tang Xinyi mainly reads the Singapore English version of The Straits Times at home, and she doesn’t know much about some of the latest Chinese professional terms.
"Yes! I saw in the Lianhe Zaobao two days ago that in 1992, your Singaporean government started to implement the IT2000 Smart Island Plan. According to that report, there are currently about 40 million Internet users in the world, and the United States ranks first. There are about 25 million users, and the number of Internet users in mainland China may not exceed 10,000. The current global population has reached 10,000! 5.7 billion people, 1.2 billion in mainland China, and 266 million in the United States. Calculating the 40 million users in the world and the total population of 5.7 billion, there is a huge gap between the 10,000 users in mainland China and the total population of 1.2 billion... I estimate that there will be a few years in the future. In the next year, the number of Internet users around the world will explode, which will be a very, very huge business opportunity!”
Li Xiaofan's tone was firm and full of imagination. He sounded very confident and persuasive. It was the first time that Xinyi saw Li Xiaofan talk about a topic so excitedly, and even she was moved and infected by Li Xiaofan's words.
"Fan, this Internet industry sounds very attractive, but what are you going to do next?"
“My initial idea is to use the money earned from trade to invest in some very promising emerging Internet startup projects in the Silicon Valley of the United States, and then invite these Internet companies to set up Asia-Pacific regional headquarters in Singapore to boost Singapore’s ongoing IT2000 Smart Island plan! "
"Haha, it sounds wonderful, but will those potential American Internet companies listen to you and invest in Singapore?"
Li Xiaofan said with a sly smile on his face: "Hey, that's what the business plan says! This plan was submitted to the officials of the Immigration Department, mainly to impress the person in charge of approving the EP permit at the Immigration Department. Let him grant me the EP permit first!”
Tang Xinyi was happy: "Oh, so that's it, it makes sense! Then just go ahead and boast about it!"
"You can't make too much noise. This report must be well-founded! Xinyi, last time I heard you talk about it, did you have a classmate studying for a master's degree at the National University of Singapore?"
"Well, there are quite a few of them, and they are all alumni of my Huaqiao Middle School!"
Different from the domestic education system, Singapore’s high schools are also called junior colleges. Junior colleges are equivalent to the preparatory courses of public universities. They are called Junior Colleges in English. Singapore National Junior College, Raffles Junior College, Victoria Junior College, Temasek Junior College, etc. are all well-known junior colleges in Singapore.
Singapore Chinese High School is the only junior college in Singapore with the name of a middle school. Overseas Chinese Secondary School was founded by the overseas Chinese leader Mr. Tan Kah Kee and is one of the top junior colleges in Singapore. Although the teaching language was later changed to English, it still maintained a relatively strong Chinese background and traditional culture. Almost all the students there could speak Chinese. At that time, the Singapore Ministry of Education also cooperated with mainland China to recruit outstanding students from China to study abroad in Singapore Overseas Chinese High School every year. The Singaporean government provided very generous scholarships.
"Then when you are free, ask one of your alumni to take me to the NUS library of the National University of Singapore. I want to check out some information, is that okay?"
"It's simple. Then I can just find an old classmate to lend you her NUS student card. With your NUS student card, you can enter and leave the NUS library as you please. No one will care about you, and your appearance itself is... Very much like NUS students!”
"Well, well, then I'll ask you to borrow it when you have time..."
Xinyi hugged Li Xiaofan's arm and said: "My dear, do we need to be so polite between us?" Li Xiaofan smiled and said: "Of course we do. Even if you are my wife in the future, we must respect each other as guests and grow old together!"
Xin Yi was happy: "Haha, you think far enough!"
After finishing speaking, she was also an impatient person. She immediately picked up her mobile phone and dialed the pager number of Huijuan, a graduate student at the National University of Singapore, and left her a message.
Two minutes later, the other party called back.
Huijuan called from a public phone: "Xinyi, are you looking for me?"
"Huijuan, where are you now?"
“My boyfriend and I just arrived at Clarke Quay!”
"Ah, you are right next to our company! Are you free now? Can I invite you two over for a drink?"
"Of course, you can come over now! We just heard that Clarke Quay has been renovated, and we want to come and experience the new look. Come and hang out for a while!"
"Then where are you now and how can I find you?"
"We'll wait for you on the north bank next to Read Bridge!"
"Okay, then we'll see you in ten minutes!"