China-Singapore ties back on right track

By Rabi Sankar Bosu

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong paid an official bilateral visit to China from September 19 to 21, 2017 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. In Beijing, he had met the top leaders of China, including President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee Zhang Dejiang and Head of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Wang Qishan. Lee Hsien Loong’s trip to China was a huge step forward, both politically and diplomatically as President Xi Jinping noted, "China's relations with Singapore bolster the region."

Chinese PresidentXi Jinping(R) meets with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 20, 2017. [Photo: Xinhuanet]

Lee's visit to China was an indication that bilateral ties were returning to normal after being strained last year over the territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Singapore urged China to accept the international "arbitration" over the South China Sea dispute which China rejected as being illegal and invalid. The arbitration was initiated by the administration of former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III.

Moreover, last year during his visit to Washington, Lee Hsien Loong described US President Barack Obama as "America's first Pacific President." His remarks angered China, which reacted through the Global Times: "Lee Hsien Loong addressed Obama as America's 'first Pacific President'. Such flattery given to Obama directly does not concern us."  However, Lee's visit to China proves that his previous pro-US strategy in the Asia-Pacific has been changed.  

In May, Lee was not invited to the "Belt and Road Initiative" summit, China's biggest diplomatic event of the year, which was attended by a wide range of national leaders and top international delegations. Nor did he attend Xiamen's BRICS summit two weeks ago when Thailand was invited to represent Southeast Asian countries.

However, it should be noted here that since China and Singapore established diplomatic relations 27 years ago, the two countries have made remarkable progress in their cooperation, with sound results in various fields. Since China embarked on a path of reform and opening up in late 1970s, the Chinese leadership has been following very closely what Singapore has been doing.

The Singaporean prime minister’s visit to China has certainly helped to bolster the two sides' previous strong relationship to work hand in hand to mutually beneficial results. Undoubtedly, it is crucial for the Singaporean government to consolidate mutual cooperation and improve its status in China's regional and global diplomatic arena. In an editorial China Daily has rightly noted, "Lee's visit to China, his first visit since August 2013, is welcome, and it is being perceived as a sign that the soured bilateral ties are recovering." 

Premier Li Keqiang held a red-carpet welcome ceremony for Lee Hsien Loong at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on September 19. During his 45-minute meeting with Lee, Premier Li told that China has always placed great importance on bilateral ties with Singapore. "The relationship is built on a foundation of mutual respect and equal footing, and this has benefited the people of both countries," Li said. China hopes Singapore will support Chinese enterprises who wish to participate in the Singapore-Malaysia high-speed railway project. He also welcomed Singapore's support for China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Prime Minister Lee thanked Premier Li for extending a warm welcome and said he was grateful for Li's attention to bilateral ties. Lee said that Singapore welcomes Chinese businesses to the 360-km high-speed rail link between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. He also said that the Belt and Road Initiative is positive for the world since it can help further integrate China into regional and international economic systems while boosting growth in other countries. 

It is encouraging to see that at their meeting, the two leaders welcomed the good progress made in negotiations for the upgrade of the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement and reviewed the extensive and substantive bilateral cooperation between Singapore and China, especially in economic and financial cooperation. This included the three ongoing government-to-government projects, namely, Suzhou Industrial Park, the Tianjin Eco-City and the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative, as well as official platforms such as the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation, which is co-chaired by Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli and Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean. 

When meeting with Lee at the Great Hall of the People, President Xi Jinping said that China and Singapore should deepen political trust and consolidate ties. Xi said China and Singapore should support each other on issues of core interests. The two leaders reaffirmed the deep and strong friendship built over the years by successive generations of leaders and discussed new areas of bilateral cooperation.

Xi also pointed out that "in this new historical chapter, there are many opportunities to build our ties in substantial and fruitful ways." "Beefing up mutual political trust and continuing to consolidate and develop bilateral ties are in line with the interests of both countries and their people and will also benefit regional and global peace, stability and prosperity," the President said.

Lee said he was grateful to receive an invitation to visit China at this busy time, when China is preparing for next month's 19th National Congress of the CPC. He said he fully agreed with Xi's position on bilateral ties. Singapore hopes for closer cooperation with China in the fields of infrastructure, interconnectivity and human resources. He also said Singapore had stuck to the one-China policy, opposed "Taiwan independence" and hoped for a stable and prosperous China. 

In January 2016, China and Singapore launched the joint project to link western China and Southeast Asia through Chongqing. President Xi said construction of the Belt and Road Initiative is the focus of current bilateral cooperation. He expects the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity to be a success.

On September 21, PM Lee and Li Dejin, Vice-Governor of Fujian province, unveiled the commemorative plaque at the opening ceremony of the reconstructed Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) building in Xiamen. Addressing the opening ceremony, Singapore's Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat said, "The reconstructed OCBC building in Xiamen is a symbol of enduring ties between Singapore and China."

China is the biggest economy in Asia and a global power.  It is worth mentioning that as China rises quickly, the Singaporean prime minister realized it's crucial to mend fences with China and to be involved in China's Belt and Road initiative. He said Singapore supports the Belt and Road Initiative and the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Singapore is ready to promote regional and world development and help to expedite China-ASEAN cooperation.

China has been Singapore's biggest trade partner since 2013 while Singapore is China's largest source of foreign investment. Singapore has helped China tremendously in its pursuit of development. The two countries have maintained stable growth in trade for years. According to Xinhua, the total trade between the two countries grew 60 per cent to US$85 billion last year from 2009. Chinese investment in Singapore's non-financial sector totaled US$4.2 billion in 2016 and accounted for 45.2 per cent of its non-financial investment in Association of Southeast Asian Nations members last year. 

It can be said that Lee Hsien Loong’s China visit has heralded the "warming of Sino-Singaporean relations."  Though Singapore is a small country, it has the international influence of a world power and plays the role of a bellwether among ASEAN countries for diplomacy.

In an editorial published on September 21, China Daily rightly observed, "Singapore holds special significance to Chinese diplomacy not only because of its longstanding role as "middleman" between China and the West, but also because it is the current official coordinator of China-ASEAN relations, and will assume the presidency of ASEAN next year." In essence, Lee's trip shows that "small troubles have not shaken the foundation of the two countries' bilateral ties."

(Rabi Sankar Bosu is Secretary of New Horizon Radio Listeners' Club, based in West Bengal, India)