Ties still strong between China and Singapore

Visiting president accepts doctorate for contribution to bilateral ties from prestigious university in Tianjin

Singapore-China ties will remain strong even after the death of the nation's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, said President Tony Tan Keng Yam, after he became the second Singaporean leader to accept an honorary doctorate from China.

"Lee's passing marks the end of an era but it does not mean the end of strong China-Singapore relations," Tan said on Wednesday in response to a question from a student at Nankai University. The institution conferred the doctorate on Tan for his contribution to bilateral ties.

"We have established other platforms. Our ministers meet very frequently, many delegations of officials from China visit Singapore, and from Singapore to China, to learn from each other."

Lee, who received an honorary doctorate from Fudan University in 2005, laid the foundation for close ties between China and Singapore from the 1970s.

Lee, who died in March, believed the ties he fostered "had to carry on beyond him".

Tan said, "I believe the potential and progress of China-Singapore relations will continue to grow from strength to strength. If Mr. Lee were to look back on what he achieved, I think he would be very satisfied. It's our task, and I hope our Chinese colleagues', to carry on his work."

Tan was warmly welcomed by more than 200 guests and students at Nankai, which is the alma mater of China's founding premier, Zhou Enlai.

University President Gong Ke praised Tan's contributions to fostering bilateral ties in his speech, saying "cooperation between Singapore and China brings benefits not only to our two countries, but also to regional and global developments".

In his address, Tan also cited examples of strong China-Singapore relations, noting that Singaporean company CapitaLand is the largest foreign real estate developer in China, and 6,200 Chinese firms have set up branches in Singapore.

"Despite the disparity in geographical sizes between our two countries, mutual learning and sharing of experiences have been cornerstones of our bilateral cooperation," Tan said.

One example is the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City project, which Tan visited on Wednesday.

The SSTEC, which was started in 2008, is the second government-led project between the two countries in China, after the Suzhou Industrial Park.

These projects, Tan said, foster understanding and friendship and evolve according to the changing needs of the countries.

At the SSTEC, Tan officially opened the Low Carbon Living Lab, an environment-friendly building that operates as a business park space. He also met with Singaporeans living in Tianjin and chatted with the SSTEC's new CEO, Liew Choon Boon, who began his new role on Wednesday.

Separately, Tan also met with Tianjin's acting Party chief and mayor Huang Xingguo.

Tianjin is the only stop outside of Beijing on Tan's six-day state visit. On Tuesday, he and his wife Mary Tan donated 300 books to the National Library of China.

In his speech at Nankai, Tan also underlined the importance of China's role in contributing to the region's stability, saying there remains "tremendous scope for further cooperation".

He said China's Belt and Road Initiative has the potential to forge cooperation across regions, including Southeast Asia.

"As Singapore takes on our upcoming role as country coordinator for the ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations this August, we look forward to strengthening the relationship between ASEAN and China," he said.

The Straits Times

Asia News Network

(China Daily 07/04/2015 page6)