Finance Minister Heng: Younger leaders will build on ties with China
Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat says two countries can look at taking cooperation to the next level
Even as Singapore undergoes leadership renewal and transition, its younger leaders will continue to build on and improve ties with China, visiting Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said yesterday.
In an address to 200 students and faculty members of Nanjing University, Mr Heng pointed to current leaders like Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who have, over the years, built a "longstanding and close friendship" with their counterparts from China.
"It is our hope that as the younger leaders in Singapore step up to the helm, new friends will also become old friends and good friends," said Mr Heng, a member of the fourth-generation (4G) leadership who is seen as one of the contenders to become prime minister.
Mr Heng, who is on the fifth day of a nine-day working visit to China, left for Shanghai yesterday.
During his speech in Nanjing, he said it was timely to explore how to take the mutually beneficial cooperation between Singapore and China to the next level.
He laid out three of Singapore's important leadership and governance principles.
First, governance and policies must change with the times and remain relevant.
"Our operating environments are always changing. People's aspirations evolve. These changes may become faster and more complex in the future," he said, adding that countries needed to prepare for three major shifts - an ageing population, the emergence of new technologies, and the shift in economic weightage towards Asia.
Second, policies must be formulated with depth, breadth and a long-term view. This requires governments to engage citizens actively, widely and in a multi-faceted manner, he said.
Finally, even as governments formulate their domestic policies, they need to actively collaborate with and learn from other countries as well as maintain good relations, he added.
"Singapore seeks to be a credible and consistent partner, playing constructive roles in international affairs," he said.
Mr Heng said Singapore seeks to build good relations with other countries, be a friend to many and an enemy of none.
"In a world that is rapidly changing and increasingly interconnected, countries need to collaborate.
"No country has all the expertise it needs. Collaborations can achieve win-win outcomes."
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