Celebrating strong Sino-Singapore relations

From left: Mr Yuan, Mr Goh, Prof Koh and Mr Loh gave their views on questions raised by students

High trade volume, daily exchange of visitors and successful joint government projects are indications of how Singapore and China have benefitted from 25 years of diplomatic relations, said panellists at the recent Tembusu Forum on 27 August.

The 15th edition of the NUS Tembusu College's flagship event, titled "Celebrating 25 Years of Diplomatic Relations between China and Singapore, featured Embassy of the Republic of Singapore to China Ambassador His Excellency Stanley Loh, Embassy of The People's Republic of China to Singapore Counsellor Mr Zhai Xingfu and Lianhe Zaobao Editor Mr Goh Sin Teck. College Rector Professor Tommy Koh, who is also Chairman of the NUS Centre for International Law, moderated the event.

Since establishing diplomatic ties, Singapore and China have collaborated in many mutually beneficial ways, said Mr Loh. There have been two successful government-level projects to date ' the Suzhou Industrial Park and Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City ' with a third on the way. More recently, both governments have gone beyond economic cooperation to cadre training, financial services and social governance. The Singapore-China relationship also achieved a significant milestone when Singapore launched renminbi (RMB) clearing facilities in 2013, making the island-nation the largest offshore RMB hub outside of Greater China, according to Mr Loh.

"The key characteristic of our relationship is that our bilateral cooperation has evolved with our changing needs and interests, he explained.

Mr Goh illustrated the liberalisation of China's economy with very concrete examples. They included the shift from a controlled currency ' the now-defunct Chinese foreign exchange certificate ' to the Chinese yuan and the open cultural exchanges China now promotes.

Further evidence of strong Sino-Singapore relations can be observed through the many people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, said Mr Zhai. The presidents of both countries will exchange state visits to the other's nation to commemorate 25 years of diplomatic ties ' Singapore President Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam was in China in July while President Xi Jinping is expected in Singapore before the year ends. Additionally, more than 6,000 people fly between the two countries on a daily basis, he said.

Singapore's role in China's geopolitical framework extends beyond Asia. It has encouraged China's integration into the international system through multilateral organisations such as the World Trade Organization and ASEAN, noted Mr Loh. This point was also highlighted by one student during the Question-and-Answer session. She asked the panellists whether they thought Singapore helped balance the US-China relationship.

About 200 people attended the Forum

Embassy of the People's Republic of China to Singapore's Deputy Head of the Political and Press Section Mr Yuan Yuan addressed the question, saying China respected Singapore's stance on not wanting to take sides should there be a conflict between the two superpowers. Instead, China would like Singapore to be a bridge between both countries, he said.

"The bridge is not in terms of international relations but in terms of culture and because they know us. Singapore is always an arbitrator of communication between the West and East, he explained.

Prof Koh, who is also Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said there is a "huge deficit of trust between the US and China. This deficit is gradually reducing thanks to ASEAN, which has brought the two global heavyweights together under a cooperative framework, he added.

The Forum, which brought together 200 attendees, aims to raise awareness and engage undergraduates by bringing informed discussions about important global, regional and national issues with distinguished academics, policy-makers, diplomats and intellectuals.