...One Belt, One Road...
Singapore's Straits Times published an edited extract of the Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam's talks about the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative. The talks was held in Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
The talks was very impressive and excellent. Wish to share some points here:
1. As a small country that is well governed, with rule of law, a highly educated population, we should be able to benefit from all this economic growth. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in itself offers tremendous economic opportunities. If connectivity improves, people travel, investment flows increase, then we can benefit - if we are ready and smart.
2. In this unfolding multi-polar world, it is even more important for us to have as many good relationships as possible.
3. Small states must continually earn their relevance.
4. We need to keep improving, keep reinventing and finding new ways to add value. We should try to punch above our weight, rather than just be seen as a 700-sq km rock at the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia. We have good reasons to be optimistic.
5. While we may be small in terms of territory or population size, we are not so small when you consider other yardsticks: GDP per capita, size of our foreign reserves, our connectivity with others, ease of doing business - to name just a few factors.
The talks was very impressive and excellent. Wish to share some points here:
1. As a small country that is well governed, with rule of law, a highly educated population, we should be able to benefit from all this economic growth. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in itself offers tremendous economic opportunities. If connectivity improves, people travel, investment flows increase, then we can benefit - if we are ready and smart.
2. In this unfolding multi-polar world, it is even more important for us to have as many good relationships as possible.
3. Small states must continually earn their relevance.
4. We need to keep improving, keep reinventing and finding new ways to add value. We should try to punch above our weight, rather than just be seen as a 700-sq km rock at the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia. We have good reasons to be optimistic.
5. While we may be small in terms of territory or population size, we are not so small when you consider other yardsticks: GDP per capita, size of our foreign reserves, our connectivity with others, ease of doing business - to name just a few factors.
6. We must be nimble, quickly adapt - modernise, expand our own container port; have the foresight to make the necessary changes today for a better tomorrow. If we do so, we can secure our future, and ensure we remain a key port of call in South-east Asia.
7. And don't be easily rattled. As a Straits Times article pointed out, it is not so easy to displace our port. Don't be spooked by social media disinformation campaigns that claim we are about to be surrounded and cut off.
8. We achieved what we have by thinking bold, and thinking big. We didn't allow anyone to bully us, or subject ourselves to the demands of other countries. Many have tried. We resisted.
9. International relations, it is not unlike a jungle. And small states are at risk. Small states that are intimidated or cajoled by bigger states into allowing their identity and interests to be defined by bigger states are not going to remain sovereign states for very long. They may retain a flag, a national anthem and a vote in the United Nations, but that is about all. They will lose the autonomy to be themselves.
10. If our founding fathers had conceded that Singapore should behave like a small state - "adiks" - we would not be having this conversation today. We would not be speaking in English, certainly; and there would be no Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
11. But thankfully, our founding fathers thought boldly, so we have a vibrant, confident modern state.
Full article can be read at http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/how-spore-can-gain-from-one-belt-one-road-initiative
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