Transcription
As you know, uh, Singapore and China have very extensive, uh, relationships. So, of course, right at the apex of this set of relationships is the upcoming, uh, JCBC. But beyond this, we have, uh, various interactions at the ministry to ministry level. We have various interactions with the provincial councils.
But this is yet another very unique channel of interactions between, uh, Singapore and China, and that is between the Central Organization Department of the CCP with our Public Service. Now, in many ways, this channel is a very special channel because, first, I don't think the CCP has many such interactions with many other countries. We are a very unique partner. It allows us to delve into topics of leadership development at a much deeper level. And this allows us and helps us to understand China better. Not just what they do and how they do, but why they do what they do.
And over the previous nine editions, each edition has given us insights onto the thinking of the Chinese leadership at different points in time. And as we know, China is a huge and complex country, and their needs and their priorities are constantly evolving. And with such interactions, away from the policy, uh, issues, it allows us to appreciate the kind of issues that they are grappling with.
So, for example, for this forum and the upcoming discussions, we know that China has mentioned that they are also facing, uh, great changes in their society, and it is at three different levels. And it can is also manifested and can be seen in their latest five-year plan.
At one level, they are having to deal with the geopolitical shifts. Uh, they have called it the great changes for the last 100 years. So, obviously, they see as a very significant shift, and they are looking at how they conduct their bilateral and multilateral ties with other countries. Uh, how they go beyond China, how they interact with other partners. Uh, so there are opportunities for us to understand how they see the world and what are their priorities and how do they intend to conduct their business with the rest of the world. We have heard them talking about the Belt and Road Initiative previously. Now we hear them talking about the Global Development Initiatives and so, so on and so forth. So, these are just what they want to do, but we really want to understand why they want to do what they want to do.
A second aspect which the Chinese are very concerned about, and you see this in the latest five-year plan, has to do with the kind of economic development model that they would like to have. In the past, maybe they were more concerned with quantity, scale, size. But now they are increasingly talking about innovation and the quality of the growth. And this allows us an opportunity. And incidentally, Singapore has never been able to talk about size and scale, but we always talk about speed, innovation, relevance, and quality. So, these are opportunities for us to work together to mutually share our perspectives of the world and how we can take our economic models, our different economic models, forward, notwithstanding the differences. Where are there opportunities for us to do joint projects together?
A third aspect that has come out from their five-year plan has to do with their domestic, uh, social issues. And two of the key domestic challenges that have come to the forefront has to do with one, aging. Uh, how do they manage the issues of aging from housing to retirement adequacy? On the other hand, they also have to deal with a younger population that is much more affluent, much more diverse in their aspirations and perspective. How do we harness the energy of this younger generation towards the constructive ends of promoting growth and development for their own country?
So, the topics and the subtopics have been chosen carefully chosen to reflect the current and future priorities of China and Singapore, and so that we can have a more in-depth discussion on how, uh, we can learn from one another, how we can collaborate with one another on different areas in order to bring about the development of our respective countries.
>> Okay. So that settles the English one. Maybe, Minister, if you add on examples, some areas that Singapore and China can work together on moving forward.
So, uh, based on the three topics, I think there are obviously areas that we can work on, like, for example, uh, on the geopolitical front, where both of us can work together to contribute to regional peace, upholding the global order, and also maybe come up with new ideas on how the global rules can be developed for the benefit of all.
On the economic front, when we talk about the high-quality economic growth, those are actually very pertinent topics because both of us are, uh, very focused on the quality of our growth and not just the quantity or the scale issues related to growth.
Uh, on the social front, again, I think there are things that we can work together to share ideas on how we manage the challenges of aging, but yet at the same time, to tap the opportunities of an aging society. Uh, how do we use, uh, both the mass media and also the social media and, uh, different channels in terms of ground to meet the, uh, face-to-face engagement to coalesce and better understand our, to better understand our people, and so that we can coalesce our people towards a common goal.
So, there are many areas of, uh, work that we can work together. And if I may add, there will be one more, where is in such, uh, times of change. How do we select, train, and groom our leaders for public service? Uh, what are the, if you like, qualities that we should look out for, and how do we train and equip them to deal with all these challenges? So, you can see that this is at a different level of the other interactions. Other interactions may be talking about policy interactions, trade interactions, but this is talking about how we groom leaders to manage and overcome the respective challenges in our own, uh, society.
So, this is how I think, for a small country like Singapore, we can be relevant to other bigger countries, other partners, because we spend time and effort to deeply understand their needs, their concerns, their aspirations, so that we can find common ground to work together, uh, amidst all these changes. But of course, this was also yet another channel for us to build relationships with one segment of the Chinese, uh, system where we may not be exposed to, uh, through our other channels, from the provincial councils to the ministry to ministries' interactions.
So, all in all, I think this mechanism, over the last nine editions, has given us an added channel for us to know some of the senior leaders, uh, in the Chinese leadership that we would otherwise not have been able to have access to.
>> Minister, just a short one. So, would you be able to share your experiences, uh, given that you have been to China many times, and what is your message for Singaporeans who are thinking of perhaps going there to study or start a business?
Well, I always, uh, like to remind ourselves that China is a big and complex country. Never be lulled into complacency thinking that we understand China just because we have been to one or two cities or provinces in China. But instead, uh, it's like the story that I share with my previous counterpart, Minister Leong. That every time I visit China, while he addresses, while he addressed me as a good and old friend of China, I will always remind myself that every time I visit China, the more I understand China, the more I feel that I need to understand China, which is a constant effort to try and keep pace with the latest developments. So, that is about understanding China.
The other thing, excuse me, the other thing that's very important is to build up the relationship with the Chinese leaders, including the up-and-coming Chinese leaders. Because in working with China, it's not just about working on the projects per se, but it's also about working the relationship behind the projects. The projects may change, but if the relationship is strong, that allows us to go into different projects and evolve the projects even as we, as we move along.
So, these are things that I would strongly suggest that, uh, as fellow Singaporeans, we all have to remember the complexity of China, the need to deeply understand different parts of China, their priorities, and also to spend time to build the relationships with the Chinese leaders.
>> Thank you.