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Singapore-China ties broad and substantial: PM Lee

SINGAPORE — Singapore and China enjoy good cooperation in many areas, and the latest Chongqing Connectivity Initiative that both sides are working on is a significant project that will further strengthen bilateral economic ties, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in an interview with a Chinese business magazine that was published on Monday (Sept 19).

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the G20 Summit in Hangzhou earlier in September. Photo: Reuters

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the G20 Summit in Hangzhou earlier in September. Photo: Reuters

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SINGAPORE — Singapore and China enjoy good cooperation in many areas, and the latest Chongqing Connectivity Initiative that both sides are working on is a significant project that will further strengthen bilateral economic ties, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in an interview with a Chinese business magazine that was published on Monday (Sept 19).

“It is a broad and substantial relationship. We have been friends for a long time. We cooperate in many areas — economic, trade, education, culture and on political issues too. And also regionally with Asean,” Mr Lee told Caijing magazine, referring to the 10-member Association of South-east Asian Nations.

At the same time, he noted that Singapore and China are different countries which do not view the world in the same way. 

"We have different vital interests, and we have different national policies and priorities. Often they align with each other and therefore we are able to cooperate. Sometimes, we have different perspectives and we respect each other’s points of view.”

He noted that ties between both countries have been buttressed over the years by several flagship developmental projects such as the Suzhou Industrial Park, Tianjin Eco-city and now the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative  — the third government-to-government project which fits in with China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative, Yangtze River Economic Belt strategy as well as its Western Region Development plan. 

“Therefore, there is an alignment of interest,” said Mr Lee. “If we can get it off the ground, it will also strengthen economic interconnections between Singapore and Chongqing, and really between Singapore and China.”

The interview with Caijing was conducted earlier this month in Hangzhou, where Mr Lee had attended the G20 summit and held talks with Mr Xi on the sidelines.  During his trip to China, Mr Lee also visited Chongqing and met the city’s Communist Party Secretary Sun Zhengcai and Mayor Huang Qifan.

In the interview, Mr Lee was also asked if the United States is competing with China for influence in Asean and how the regional grouping should position itself.

“There is always competition for influence but there are also opportunities for cooperation,” Mr Lee replied, adding that countries in Asia, including Singapore, would like to be good friends with both. 

“And this is easiest if both China and America are working well with one another,” he said, noting that President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Barack Obama have been meeting regularly to discuss strategic issues.  

“There are areas of cooperation, like, on climate change. But there are also issues between China and America such as the South China Sea,” said Mr Lee. 

“We hope these are issues which can be managed and will not cloud the overall relationship.” 

On Asean, he reiterated that it is important for the grouping to be cohesive so that it can be an effective partner for countries such as US, China, Japan and the European Union and also contribute to the regional architecture of economic and security cooperation. 

“If Asean is split and South-east Asia becomes a region where different powers contend with each other and try to jockey and gain advantage and play one country against another, it will raise tensions in the region and it will be very bad for all the Asean countries,” said Mr Lee. 

“It will not be to the advantage of the powers either, because it would mean a less stable Asia and that means more trouble and less ability to work together.”

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which more than US$5 trillion (S$6.7 trillion) in shipborne trade passes every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the sea, believed to be rich in energy deposits.  

Beijing has conducted massive reclamation in the disputed waterway, with latest satellite imagery showing what appears to be China building military aircraft hangars on disputed reefs. Washington has launched a series of patrols in the South China Sea, ostensibly to uphold freedom of navigation, drawing Beijing’s ire.

Asean’s credibility has been dented as it has struggled to come to a common position over China’s actions in the South China Sea, with some member states such as Laos and Cambodia said to have come under pressure from Beijing. 

An arbitration court in The Hague ruled on July 12 that China had no historic title over the busy waterway and had breached the Philippines’ sovereign rights there. 

The decision infuriated Beijing, which dismissed the court’s authority to rule on the matter. Earlier this month, Mr Obama warned Beijing that it could not ignore the tribunal’s “binding” ruling, prompting a rebuke from China.

In the interview with Caijing, Mr Lee noted that both President Xi and President Obama have said that the Pacific is big enough for both their countries.  

Mr Lee added that it is important for countries in the Asia Pacific to strengthen their trade ties through agreements such as the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a trade agreement which is being negotiated between China, Japan, Korea, Asean countries, India, as well as Australia and New Zealand.

“We believe that we have to work towards free trade because otherwise we will miss out on many opportunities for cooperation, and relations amongst countries will become much more difficult,” said Mr Lee.

He added that the 12-member TPP is an important initiative because it is one of the paths towards free trade in the Asia Pacific. 

“We hope that in time, we will grow and expand to other countries as well. In particular, China is not part of the TPP at this point. But if the TPP can be concluded and ratified, as things develop, I am sure China will be watching it, and the opportunity may yet come for China to participate as well.”

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