China's sustainable development offers inspiration: Cassandra Ler

Cassandra Ler from Singapore is a graduate student at the School of Public Policy and Management. Pursuing her degrees in the Tsinghua-Geneva Dual Master’s in Public Policy for Sustainable Development Goals (MPP-SDG) program, she has acquired diverse experiences that enriched her personal and professional growth. Parallel to her academic journey, she is interning as an associate expert on climate action at PATH in Geneva, Switzerland.

“China is a walking encyclopaedia encompassing a wealth of history, art, culture, and stories of unparalleled development and overcoming vicissitudes. Tsinghua is emblematic of its grandeur. Its sheer diversity of students and interdisciplinary courses has taught me to think in multidimensional ways, understand social diversity, and enhance empathy,” she says.

The exploration of China’s myriad possibilities gave a new impetus to advancing her creative boundaries and insights on sustainable development. “As the SDGs are rapidly becoming a shared language across all sectors, policy-making that is grounded in robust evidence and analysis requires strong theoretical foundations and practical know-how to drive change forward. Immersing myself in China’s development instilled in me an in-depth understanding of sustainable development in all its dimensions, and I learnt practical skills to engage them in real-world applications,” she adds.

Her fond memories include hosting multicultural events on campus and field trips to Chinese companies such as Build Your Dreams (BYD), Minkave, and Tencent that showcased the mass move towards equipping cities with a digital brain and creating social value to better provide for the needs of society. “Sauntering along the streets of Shenzhen, the concrete jungle of staggering, modern skyscrapers and towering buildings reminded me of Singapore. It was a remarkable experience to witness first-hand the tech hub that realised revolutionary innovation, technical capabilities and strategic execution of its digital transformation plans,” she remarks.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) will celebrate its centenary on July 1. In anticipation of this momentous milestone, she commends the CPC’s commitment to its global responsibilities in climate and sustainability governance. “China’s determination to inclusive, equitable and sustainable development is a mark of its ongoing endeavour to build a better world,” she believes.

Editors： Li Han, Guo Lili, Sangeet