Enhance Sino-Singaporean ties

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, November 19, 2003

Enhance Sino-Singaporean ties

Sino-Singaporean relations are based on wide-ranging relations and co-operation in economic, cultural, financial and political fields over the past two decades.

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Sino-Singaporean relations are based on wide-ranging relations and co-operation in economic, cultural, financial and political fields over the past two decades.

Former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's call to "learn from Singapore" probably set the tone for firm relations between the two countries. It also began a mutual learning process between China and Singapore.

Likewise, Chinese leaders after Deng have also made visits to Singapore to learn from the island nation, as China opened up impressively in the 1980s and 1990s, even using Singapore's strategic position as a bridge to '' join China with the West."

Both Singapore and China have benefited enormously from this complementary relationship of mutual interests and gains during the past 20 years. But what will its future be like, especially as China succeeds in its globalization drive and can now reach out to the world on its own?

Recent developments point to a possible shift in this Sino-Singaporean partnership in at least three directions.

The trade imperative is the first shift. In the post-Cancun context, where trade liberalization appears to have stalled, China and Singapore would have everything to gain by seriously promoting more trade liberalization, not only between the two countries, but also within the whole East Asian region.

The ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (FTA), dubbed "10+1" by China, is of special significance, not only because it could create a huge and formidable free trade zone of some 1.8 billion people, but also because it should stabilize all of the 11 economies involved through development and economic growth.

Furthermore, Singapore and China could also lead by example in securing a FTA in some specific area or field, just like the October 1 Thailand-China trade liberalization deal on fruits and vegetables.

Such a bilateral deal could be helpful in promoting the "10+1," as negotiations intensify towards achieving this mammoth free trade zone by 2010.

Such a bilateral deal could also be seen as a welcomed gesture to Singapore, which is an active promoter and campaigner for trade liberalization. It would also underscore China's commitment to free trade with ASEAN.

Furthermore, a China-Singapore deal in a specific trade area could also serve as a useful trial run in terms of implementation for both China and Singapore.

Secondly, the strategic complementarity between China and Singapore would also be appropriate in the investment area.

Strategically, China should find that Singapore can be a helpful partner in regional investment.

In fact, during the first visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to Singapore, the idea of joint investments in third countries was mooted. In this regard, Chinese companies could find Singaporean partners useful in their investment forays into Indonesia, for example, a country which Singaporean investors would likely know better than their Chinese partners do.

This joint investment strategy would also be beneficial for two other reasons. It could help allay fears of a "China threat" in sucking up investment from ASEAN countries and threatening their economic growth.

With Singapore, China could show that it also invests in ASEAN countries and contributes to their development and growth.

This strategy could also encourage Singaporean and Chinese companies to work, invest and do business together in ASEAN countries, thus promoting closer co-operation and better people-to-people exchanges between the two nations.

Lastly, this strategic complementarity is also clearly present in building an East Asian community together.

China and Singapore both have an immense stake in the East Asian region, and hopefully, integration will serve as a means to balance the growing trend towards regional blocs.

It was clear that when China announced its intention to begin talks on an ASEAN-China FTA in Brunei in 2001, it spurred Japan to do likewise with ASEAN the year after. China and Singapore could thus play a catalyst role in building this future "East Asian house."

Singapore may have the ideas for building such a community, as exemplified by Singapore's Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's recent vision for ASEAN, but it would need China to lead this regional project, given the latter's clout and influence.

The attendance of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at both the SARS Summit in Bangkok in April and again at the historic Bali Summit in October shows the importance China attaches to ASEAN; these gestures will be remembered and cherished by China's ASEAN neighbours.

Beijing's adherence to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Co-operation and its proposal of a collective regional security blueprint are also appreciated, and should help promote greater regionalism.

Therefore, a consolidation of China's regional role should find full support from Singapore's leaders within a clear strategic complementarity for East Asian integration.

There is therefore a firm basis for a Sino-Singaporean alliance in these three areas, which should provide the two countries with a platform to develop and nurture a true new partnership for the 21st century.

Dr Eric Teo Chu Cheow, a corporate consultant based in Singapore, is also Council Secretary of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs.

(Source: China Daily)

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