Wong Kan SengFormer Foreign Minister of Singapore1988 - 1994
Transcript

In 1990, before Lee Kuan Yew stepped down as Prime Minister, Singapore and China established formal diplomatic ties. China's leaders hoped that Lee would continue to visit China and share his views on its development even after he stepped down.

Indeed, Lee visited China almost every year, making three trips in 1993 and two in 1994. In early 1990, international opinion was not on China's side. But through interviews and speeches, Lee explained China to the world. He gave objective analyses of its strengths and weaknesses, and openly pointed out Western bias against it. He also gave pragmatic views on Hong Kong, which was then about to be returned to China.

During this decade, the Singapore and Chinese governments signed the agreement to develop the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), a milestone in bilateral relations. Before confirming the “software transfer” in Suzhou, Lee made study visits to Suzhou and several cities in Shandong, spending much time and effort in building up the SIP.

In August 1990, Singapore's Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh was appointed Singapore's chief negotiator in establishing diplomatic relations between Singapore and China. The photograph shows the chief negotiators from both sides — Koh and China's Assistant Foreign Minister Xu Dunxin — shaking hands after the final round of negotiations on 18 September 1990. (Photo: Tommy Koh)

Lee Kuan Yew laid the foundation for Singapore-China relations during his tenure. Before he stepped down as prime minister, Singapore and China officially established diplomatic ties on 3 October 1990. In mid-October, Lee made a speech at the Commonwealth Press Union Conference in Hong Kong titled “The Media's Impact on Politics and Government”. Following that event, he flew to Beijing on his last visit to China as prime minister, where he inspected the People's Liberation Army troops at the Great Hall of the People. The delegation included Goh Chok Tong, who would succeed Lee as prime minister.

After relinquishing his role as prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew visited Beijing for the first time in 1992 as Singapore's Senior Minister. At the invitation of the China International Trust and Investment Corporation (CITIC), he delivered a speech on China factors and East Asian growth at the luncheon meeting of the International Economic Forum. The speech was taken as a strong signal that Singapore felt confident about China's reform and opening up. In the picture, the first from the right is Zhu Rongji, China's Vice-Premier, and Rong Yiren, chairman of CITIC. (Photo: Xinhua)

By late November 1993, Lee Kuan Yew and Minister of Information and the Arts and Second Minister of Foreign Affairs George Yeo (first from left) had visited Zhejiang and later Beihai in Guangxi. The Guangxi government proposed reserving land for the setting up of an industrial park for Singapore.

In this photograph, director of China Focus at the Economic Development Board Seah Kia Ger (first from right) showed Lee a map to explain the economic development in China's southwestern regions, including Yunnan and Guangxi. He went on to describe the plans and economic benefits of the southwest railway linking Laos, Yunnan, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. (Photo: Seah Kia Ger)

After the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1990, Singapore-China relations developed rapidly. In 1994, the first government-to-government project broke ground in Suzhou. Over the next 20 years, both countries established the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation and ministerial-level business councils, while the second and third government-to-government projects began in Tianjin and Chongqing respectively. The SIP had its ups and downs, as we hear from leaders Lee Kuan Yew and Li Lanqing.

On 26 February 1994, the agreement for the governments of Singapore and China to jointly develop the Suzhou Industrial Park was signed at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing by Lee Kuan Yew and Chinese Vice-Premier Li Lanqing (front row, second from right), with Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and Chinese Premier Li Peng as witnesses. (Second row, from left): Keppel chairman Sim Kee Boon; Singapore's Ambassador to China Cheng Tong Fatt; Kwa Geok Choo (Mrs Lee); Goh Chok Tong; Li Peng and his wife, Zhu Lin; and Jiangsu Party Secretary Chen Huanyou.

The Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) was significant in signalling to the world that Singapore was confident in China's opening up and development. In an interview with a German reporter, Lee Kuan Yew said Singapore could ensure the consistency of the terms of investment in the SIP. Lee also indicated that Singapore could help Germany enter the China market in the areas of services, technical expertise and capital by providing channels for building contacts, and assistance in the negotiation and implementation of contracts.

Lee Kuan Yew revisited Qingdao in late August 1996. Between July 1994 and September 1995, Singapore's cumulative investment in Shandong province was worth US$1.1 billion. A Singapore-Shandong Business Council was established between both countries, while a working group for foreign investments was formed among Shandong, Singapore and Bavaria.

During the 1996 Qingdao visit, Lee exchanged views with a group of representatives from German enterprises to understand the problems they faced while investing in China. German investors told reporters after the meeting that the biggest challenge was in communication, as Germans and locals had different ways of thinking and doing things. If China, Singapore and Germany could establish trilateral cooperation, they believed the problem would be solved.

In the photograph, CEO of Haier Group Corporation Zhang Ruimin (right) is briefing Lee about the company's development and prospects.

October 1994. Lee Kuan Yew visited various cities in Henan province, including Luoyang, Kaifeng and Zhengzhou, following which Singapore's investments in Henan rapidly grew. As of June 1996, Singapore enterprises had invested US$2.8 billion in Henan.

September 1996. Lee and Minister for the Environment and Second Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean visited Zhengzhou. They officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony of a joint tourism project between Singapore investors and Henan. The project involved creating a replica of the historic Guanque (Stork) tower at the Huanghe Great View theme park. Henan Party Secretary Li Changchun (first from right) hosted the ceremony. Huanghe Great View is a theme park showcasing the 5,000-year history and culture of the Yellow River.

In December 1997, Lee Kuan Yew visited Xiamen for the fifth time. He toured the Haicang Investment Zone, accompanied by Fujian Governor He Guoqiang (first from left) and Xiamen Mayor Hong Yongshi (third from left).

Lee had a great impression of Xiamen. Noting that Xiamen officials learnt quickly, he said,”If we [Singapore] don't watch out you will soon be better than us.” Even so, for the benefit of China, Lee said he hoped that it would happen one day.

In 1999, at the invitation of Zheng Bijian (first from right) , executive vice president of the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China, Lee Kuan Yew gave a speech to nearly 100 officials, researchers and academics on world trends and East Asia's peace and development. In his welcome speech, Zheng said that inviting Lee to speak at the party school reflected the friendly ties between Singapore and China. He added that although Singapore's system was different from China's, Singapore's experience was still valuable to China. Lee was the first foreign leader to be invited to give a speech to CPC cadres at the school.

In September 1999, while in Shanghai, Lee Kuan Yew met Wang Daohan (left), chairman of the China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits. The pair exchanged views on Taiwan issues.

Lee Kuan Yew wrote in his memoirs: “Because I had acted as a channel for messages between the two sides, the PRC and Taiwan chose Singapore as the venue for their first-ever talks, in April 1993.” The historic meeting was unofficially named the “Wang-Koo talks”, after China's Wang Daohan and Taiwan's Koo Chen-fu, who led their respective delegations at the meeting. Lee also separately met with Wang, who was chairman of the China's Association for Relations across the Taiwan Straits, and Koo, who was chief of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation.