SINGAPORE, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The joint meeting of two annual flagship events, FutureChina Global Forum (FCGF) and Singapore Regional Business Forum (SRBF), kicked off on Monday in Singapore, focusing on promoting regional collaboration and connectivity through innovation.

The two-day event was jointly organized by the Business China Singapore and the Singapore Business Federation, attracting hundreds of participants including senior government officials, entrepreneurs and experts from China, Singapore, ASEAN countries, among others.

Themed as "Basis for Future Prosperity and Innovation," the meeting was expected to offer top private and public sector leaders a premier platform to exchange insights, engage in high-level networking and generate a pipeline of collaborative opportunities, according to the organizers.

The discussions would focus on innovation and connectivity, the Belt and Road Initiative as well as on ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

Besides the penal discussions, the meeting also witnessed the launch of two new initiatives, the Singapore-China Open Innovation Platform and FutureChina Regional Executive Program, and the launch of the SRBF Infrastructure Committee, a private-sector led innovative to bring together the Singapore business community and foster capabilities in key sectors.

"ASEAN and China now have an opportunity to build on our strong partnership to take our relations to the next level," Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean said in a keynote address delivered on Monday.

"We need to strengthen our commitment to integration and connectivity, reaffirm our commitment to open and free trade, and uphold our commitment to a rules-based international order," said Teo.

Ding Xiangqun, vice chairwoman of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region government, said during the forum that Guangxi, as the land and sea transportation hub of the Southern Transport Corridor, had fruitful cooperation with Singapore.

She proposed a series of cooperation initiatives for Guangxi and Singapore, including jointly pushing forward infrastructure connectivity, strengthening cooperation in port logistics, establishing collaboration in various areas, and enhancing cooperation in international trade and finance.

Zhang Shizhen, vice governor of China's Gansu Province, said Gansu and Singapore could deepen communication and work together to achieve win-win cooperation.

He added that Gansu would also like to further deepen economic and trade cooperation with other ASEAN countries to share the opportunities and achieve common development.