Sun Xueling

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Sun Xueling

| native_name = {{nobold|{{lang|zh-hans|孙雪玲}}}}

| native_name_lang = zh-sg

| honorific_suffix =

| image = House Visits.jpg

| caption = Sun in 2020

| constituency_MP1 = Punggol GRC

| term_start1 = 4 May 2025

| term_end1 =

| parliament1 = Singapore

| predecessor1 = Constituency established

| successor7 =

| majority7 = 11,956 (10.34%)

| constituency_MP8 = Punggol West SMC

| term_start8 = 10 July 2020

| term_end8 = 15 April 2025

| parliament8 = Singapore

| predecessor8 = Constituency established

| successor8 = Constituency abolished

| majority8 = 5,638 (21.96%)

| constituency_MP9 = Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC

| term_start9 = 11 September 2015

| term_end9 = 23 June 2020

| parliament9 = Singapore

| predecessor9 = PAP held

| successor9 = PAP held

| majority9 = 78,513 (45.78%)

| birth_name = Soon Sher Rene

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1979|7|10}}

| birth_place = Singapore

| death_date =

| death_place =

| restingplace =

| restingplacecoordinates =

| party = People's Action Party

| spouse =

| children = 2

| alma_mater = National University of Singapore (BSS)
London School of Economics (MS)

| religion =

| signature =

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

Sun Xueling ({{lang-zh|s=孙雪玲|p=Sūn Xuělíng}}; born Soon Sher Rene; 10 July 1979){{Cite news|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/pap-introduces-2-new-faces-in-pasir-ris-punggol-team-ex-defence-chief-ng-chee-meng-sun|title=PAP introduces 2 new faces in Pasir Ris-Punggol team: Ex-defence chief Ng Chee Meng, Sun Xueling|first=Chew Hui|last=Min|date=22 August 2015|newspaper=The Straits Times}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.parliament.gov.sg/mps/list-of-current-mps/mp/details/sun-xueling|title = MP | Parliament of Singapore}} is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Minister of State for Social and Family Development since 2020 and Minister of State for Home Affairs since 2022.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pmo.gov.sg/Newsroom/Changes-to-Cabinet-and-Other-Appointments-June-2022|title=Changes to Cabinet and Other Appointments (June 2022)|date=6 June 2022|website=Prime Minister's Office Singapore}}{{Cite web |last=Lim |first=Min Zhang |title=Tan Kiat How, Eric Chua and Rahayu Mahzam to be promoted in latest Cabinet changes |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/tan-kiat-how-eric-chua-and-rahayu-mahzam-to-be-promoted |access-date=6 June 2022 |website=The Straits Times |date=6 June 2022}} A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she has been representing the Punggol West ward of Punggol Group Representation Constituency (GRC) since 2025. She had previously represented it as part of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC from 2015 to 2020 and as Punggol West Single Member Constituency (SMC) from 2020 to 2025.{{Cite web |title=Ms Sun Xueling |url=https://www.parliament.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/cv-mos-sun-xueling_english-(11-aug-2020)28ae28dbcb5f64e2b198ff00006af031.pdf}}

Prior to entering politics, Sun had worked at the Economic Development Board, DBS Bank, Temasek International, Deutsche Bank AG and Macquarie Securities.

She made her political debut in the 2015 general election as part of a six-member PAP team contesting in Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC and won 72.89% of the vote. She had previously served as Minister of State for Education between 2020 and 2022.{{cite news |last1=Au-Yong |first1=Rachel |date=23 August 2015 |title=A Singaporean born and bred |url=http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/a-singaporean-born-and-bred |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112160452/http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/a-singaporean-born-and-bred |archive-date=12 January 2018 |access-date=12 January 2018 |work=The Straits Times |language=en}} She served as Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development concurrently between 2018 and 2020.

Early life and education

Sun was brought up mostly by her grandmother, who was widowed at the age of 33 with six children as Sun's parents were both busy in their full-time jobs. She grew up in a flat in Clementi with her younger sister before moving to Ang Mo Kio.

She then went on to Ai Tong Primary before continuing her secondary school education at CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School. Having been encouraged by her grandmother to help the needy, she started doing volunteering work in 2001,{{cite web |last1=Chew |first1=Hui Min |title=MP Sun Xueling gives birth to girl |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/mp-sun-xueling-gives-birth-to-baby-girl |website=The Straits Times |access-date=21 April 2021 |date=17 November 2016}} while she was studying at the National University of Singapore, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree in economics.

She subsequently went on to complete a Master of Science with merit degree in international political economy at the London School of Economics.{{cite news|last1=Lim|first1=Jessica|title=GE2015: On the campaign trail with PAP's Sun Xueling|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/ge2015-on-the-campaign-trail-with-paps-sun-xueling|accessdate=4 April 2016|archive-date=25 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425134235/http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/ge2015-on-the-campaign-trail-with-paps-sun-xueling|url-status=live}}

Career

Sun started her career in the Economic Development Board (EDB) in 2003 before she joined DBS Bank as an Assistant Vice President.{{cite web|url=https://www.pap.org.sg/upload/item/2015Candidate/Sun%20Xueling_CV_Statement_v.pdf|title=Sun Xue Ling|publisher=PAP|accessdate=29 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701073251/https://www.pap.org.sg/upload/item/2015Candidate/Sun%20Xueling_CV_Statement_v.pdf|archive-date=1 July 2016|url-status=dead}} She was Director of Investment Groups at Temasek Holdings and had spent eight years based in Hong Kong and China working for Deutsche Bank AG as a Director and later Macquarie Securities as a Senior Vice President. She was also Chief Executive Officer of Business China from 1 November 2015 to 20 May 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://www.businesschina.org.sg/en/media-centre-news-reports-article/?slug=tin-pei-ling-takes-over-from-sun-xueling-as-business-china-ceo|title=Media Centre News Reports Article » Business China}}{{cite news|title=Business as usual for CEO and mum of toddler|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/business-as-usual-for-ceo-and-mum-of-toddler|accessdate=4 April 2016|archive-date=25 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425125920/http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/business-as-usual-for-ceo-and-mum-of-toddler|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Asia Briefs: ESM Goh in China for economic forum|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/asia-briefs-esm-goh-in-china-for-economic-forum|accessdate=4 April 2016|archive-date=5 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405191207/http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/asia-briefs-esm-goh-in-china-for-economic-forum|url-status=live}}

=Political career=

Sun was introduced by the People's Action Party (PAP) as a candidate contesting in Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC on 1 August 2015 in the lead-up to the 2015 general election. Before her candidacy was announced, she had been active in grassroots activities in Buona Vista since 2001 and had been advocating women's and mothers' rights.{{cite news|last1=Teng|first1=Amelia|title=PAP's Women Wing to start discussions on women's perspectives and aspirations|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/paps-women-wing-to-start-discussions-on-womens-perspectives-and-aspirations|accessdate=4 April 2016|archive-date=25 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425131433/http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/paps-women-wing-to-start-discussions-on-womens-perspectives-and-aspirations|url-status=live}}

During the campaigning period for the 2015 general election, Sun was the target of xenophobic comments online because her name in hanyu pinyin misled people into thinking that she was a Chinese national.

Sun became a Member of Parliament representing the Punggol West ward of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC after the six-member PAP team won 72.89% of the vote against the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA).{{cite news|last1=Toh|first1=Yong Chuan|title=New measures riding on SkillsFuture credits to be introduced|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/new-measures-riding-on-skillsfuture-credits-to-be-introduced|accessdate=4 April 2016|archive-date=4 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404064753/http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/new-measures-riding-on-skillsfuture-credits-to-be-introduced|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Six months on the ground: New MPs on their political journey so far|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/six-months-on-the-ground-new-mps-on-their-political-journey-so-far|accessdate=4 April 2016|archive-date=19 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319084919/http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/six-months-on-the-ground-new-mps-on-their-political-journey-so-far|url-status=live}} On 1 May 2018, Sun was appointed Senior Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development.

During the 2020 general election, Sun contested as the PAP candidate in Punggol West SMC after it was carved out from Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC.{{Cite news |date=13 March 2020 |title=Singapore GE: 4 new SMCs created, as 3 existing SMCs - Fengshan, Sengkang West and Punggol East - are removed |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/singapore-ge-four-new-smcs-created-as-three-existing-smcs-fengshan-sengkang-west-and |access-date=19 May 2025 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}} She won with 60.98% of the vote against Tan Chen Chen from the Workers' Party (WP).{{Cite web |title=ELD {{!}} 2020 Parliamentary General Election Results |url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/finalresults2020.html#P |access-date=19 May 2025 |website=www.eld.gov.sg}} On 27 July 2020, she was promoted to Minister of State and appointed to the Ministry of Social and Family Development and Ministry of Education.{{Cite web|last=katherine_chen|date=25 July 2020|title=PMO {{!}} Changes to Cabinet and Other Appointments (July 2020)|url=http://www.pmo.gov.sg/Newsroom/Changes-to-Cabinet-and-Other-Appointments|access-date=25 July 2020|website=Prime Minister's Office Singapore|language=en|archive-date=25 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725073238/https://www.pmo.gov.sg/Newsroom/Changes-to-Cabinet-and-Other-Appointments|url-status=live}} On 13 June 2022, Sun was appointed Minister of State at the Ministry of Home Affairs and relinquished the Education portfolio.

In 2025, Sun contested in the new Punggol GRC after it was created by merging Punggol West SMC with the Punggol section of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC as part of a four-member PAP team.{{Cite news |date=11 March 2025 |title=New Punggol and Pasir Ris-Changi GRCs in north-east, following rapid population growth |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/new-punggol-and-pasir-ris-changi-grcs-in-north-east-following-rapid-population-growth |access-date=19 May 2025 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}} The PAP proceeded to defeat the WP with 55.17% of the vote.{{Cite web |title=ELD {{!}} 2025 Parliamentary General Election Results |url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/finalresults2025.html#P |access-date=19 May 2025 |website=www.eld.gov.sg}}

Personal life

Sun is married to an information technology entrepreneur who was born in Beijing and subsequently became a Singapore citizen in 2009.{{Cite news|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/ge2015-on-the-campaign-trail-with-paps-sun-xueling|title = GE2015: On the campaign trail with PAP's Sun Xueling|newspaper = The Straits Times|date = 9 September 2015|last1 = Lim|first1 = Jessica}} They have two daughters together.{{Cite news|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/mp-sun-xueling-gives-birth-to-baby-girl|title=MP Sun Xueling gives birth to girl|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=17 November 2016|last1=Min|first1=Chew Hui}}