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Asian Angle | The Singapore-China ties Lawrence Wong inherits from Lee Hsien Loong
- Under Lee, bilateral ties were upgraded through economic initiatives and dialogue platforms – despite occasional political hiccups
- Lee also highlighted multiculturalism in diplomatic exchanges and took pains to ensure Singapore was not ‘a cat’s paw’ for any other country
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Before Lee Hsien Loong handed over the leadership of Singapore to Lawrence Wong on Wednesday, he identified bilateral relations with China as some of the city state’s most important. Though Lee will remain in the cabinet as senior minister, it will be up to Prime Minister Wong to shepherd Singapore-China relations. What legacy, on this front, does Lee leave for his successor?
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Lee’s term as prime minister saw Singapore deal with two different administrations in China – Hu Jintao as party general secretary from 2002 to 2012, and Xi Jinping in the same post since 2012. It was during Lee’s tenure that a marked shift occurred from Hu’s more cautious approach to Xi’s discernibly more ambitious and sweeping foreign policy goals.
The fact that bilateral ties have largely been stable is credit to a historically strong partnership and the Singapore government’s steady stewardship of that relationship.
Major Singapore-China platforms were initiated and strengthened under Lee. The Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation, established in 2003, provides an equal and high-level arena for regular dialogue. Indeed, the first joint council in May 2004 was co-chaired by Lee while he was still deputy prime minister. The somewhat lesser-known Singapore-China Forum on Leadership, first held in 2009, and Singapore-China Social Governance Forum, which began in 2012, were also launched under Lee’s watch.
Lee also had the rare distinction of speaking at the Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party twice, in 2005 and 2012, as prime minister.
Small hiccups, growing ties
Still, the relationship has not been completely smooth sailing.
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