Shared interests between S’pore, China far outweigh differences

SINGAPORE — The relationship between Singapore and China is in good working order, and while the two countries may have differences, both sides must recognise that they have far more common interests, said Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan.

“Therefore, even when we have differences over some issues, we should not overreact,” he said during the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Committee of Supply debate in Parliament yesterday evening.

“And we must recognise that our shared interests far exceed these differences. So we must not be distracted from the larger strategic imperatives or allow incidents to derail the substantive, long-standing and mutually-beneficial cooperation.”

He added that Singapore has always supported China’s peaceful development and engagement of the regional and international community.

“We do so because we believe that China’s success benefits the region and Singapore.”

Singapore is China’s top source of foreign investments, while the latter is the Republic’s biggest trading partner.

But bilateral ties have come under the spotlight recently, with the Chinese media carrying articles criticising Singapore for not siding more with China on territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

In November, nine Singapore armoured vehicles were detained in Hong Kong. The vehicles have since been returned.

In an interview with BBC aired on Wednesday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the terrex seizure was a delicate matter for Singapore and China, but both sides had handled it carefully, and there was a satisfactory outcome.

Dr Balakrishnan told the House that bilateral cooperation projects as well as regular interactions between government leaders and businessmen from both sides “have conferred a high degree of resilience and strategic trust in our relationship”.

He added that the 13th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meeting in Beijing the past week had gone well.

The JCBC is an annual high-level bilateral platform to discuss ways to strengthen collaboration.

Both sides are now exploring ways to deepen cooperation in China’s “Belt and Road” initiative, President Xi Jinping’s signature plan to expand infrastructure and connectivity across the region, said the minister.

In a separate speech later elaborating on Sino-Singapore ties, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Josephine Teo said the warm and long-standing friendship between the two countries owes much to the foundation laid by founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, and successive generations of leaders and officials from both sides.

“The strong reservoir of friendship and goodwill allows both sides to speak candidly with one another and discuss concrete ways to elevate the relationship,” she said in Mandarin, adding that during the just-concluded JCBC meeting, Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli and Chinese leaders had called Singapore an “old and good friend” of China.

She noted that Singapore currently has one embassy and four consulates-general in China, which is the highest number of overseas missions the Republic has in a single country.

“The regularity of high-level visits and the frequency of bilateral consultations with China are also unmatched by any other country,” added Ms Teo.

“Our ties with China are in good working order, resilient, and well primed for the future.”