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Singapore can be China’s ‘pathfinder’: DPM Teo

SINGAPORE — The Republic can be China’s “pathfinder” whenever the latter wants to do something different or simply experiment, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, in suggesting how the city-state can stay relevant to the Asian giant.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean (left) with visiting professor Nanyang Technological University  Nik Gowing who was moderating the dialogue session on Friday (Sept 15). Photo: Najeer Yusof/TODAY

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean (left) with visiting professor Nanyang Technological University Nik Gowing who was moderating the dialogue session on Friday (Sept 15). Photo: Najeer Yusof/TODAY

SINGAPORE — The Republic can be China’s “pathfinder” whenever the latter wants to do something different or simply experiment, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, in suggesting how the city-state can stay relevant to the Asian giant.

Mr Teo, who is also the Co-ordinating Minister for National Security, had brought this up twice at the annual Singapore Summit on Friday night (Sept 15), once in response to a question on whether China is marginalising Singapore, and again to another question on how the island nation can remain relevant amid Beijing’s rising aspirations in its foreign relations.

“For Singapore, we have to be realistic. We are not looking to be the biggest, or the largest. So we are almost bemused that we are the largest source of foreign investment in China. Where we can play a role for China, is to be a useful pathfinder.

“Where there are things which China wants to try, wants to experiment with, it makes sense for us, we have some experience, we can work with China,” said Mr Teo at a question-and-answer session at the event, which attracted about 500 businesspeople.

He raised examples of government-to-government collaborations between Singapore and China, such as the Suzhou Industrial Park which started in the early 1990s. At that time, China was rapidly industrialising, but did not know how to build industrial parks, he recalled.

“Today, China can do industrial parks better than anybody else,” he said.

Another example is the Tianjin Eco-city project initiated 10 years ago, when China was keen to build an environmentally friendly city, he added.

In his speech at the summit, Mr Teo highlighted the key ingredients to a peaceful, stable and prosperous Asia-Pacific: Stable Sino-United States relations, maintaining Asean centrality and unity and keeping regional economies forward-looking and innovative.

He stressed that the relationship between China and the US is the ‘most important bilateral relationship’ in the world.

“We need Sino-US collaboration in areas such as North Korea and counter-terrorism. We also need Sino-US collaboration on longer-term issues, such as the trade and economic architecture of the world, and also global problems such as climate change,” he said.

In pursuing the common goal for regional stability, it is imperative for Asean to be cohesive and focused on maintaining its credibility and centrality, he said.

Singapore continues to support the liberalisation of trade and investment, and backs both the Trans-Pacific Partnership as well as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, said Mr Teo.

He pointed out that as economies in the Asia-Pacific become more integrated, there are opportunities for companies to expand, with the potential to tap new products and services for the region.

Mr Teo also fielded questions on local politics at the event.

He was asked whether the 2011 General Election remained a “shadow that still hangs heavily over the Government” today.

At that GE, the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) was defeated in a Group Representation Constituency (GRC) for the first time, losing Aljunied GRC to the opposition Workers’ Party. The PAP’s overall share of the votes at the GE also dropped.

To that, he replied: “I have been in politics for 25 years. I have seen ups, I have seen downs. And certainly for the ruling party in Singapore, the People’s Action Party, we take every election seriously, and the messages we get from the electorate very seriously. We also try and bring in new people, so we can continuously regenerate ourselves.”

Mr Teo was also asked about ensuring social security in a time of “dramatic changes”. He said that while free trade has brought about prosperity, the problem lies in the distribution of these benefits.

There will be winners and losers, and efforts have to be made to “bring everyone up”, he added.

To that end, he said, Singapore is making such efforts through its Committee on the Future Economy, which is developing 23 Industry Transformation Maps. Singapore’s push for a Smart Nation will also open up many opportunities, he added.

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