From economic ties to traffic management

BEIJING - The ties between Singapore and China are evolving in several ways - moving from mainly economic cooperation into areas such as tourism and traffic management, as the private sector increasingly drives the Republic's investments in China, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

Speaking to the Singapore media at the end of his official visit to China, Mr Lee noted that the Singapore Government plays a supporting role as private companies increasingly take the lead - a contrast from the earlier years when Singapore companies encountered much difficulty in establishing a foothold in China.

On bilateral cooperation, Mr Lee cited new areas where the two countries are working together, including traffic management, which has become a "big headache for all the Chinese cities".

Mr Lee said: "You can see the traffic jams in Beijing. Where they have to, they don't auction but they have a kind of Certificate of Entitlement (COE) system and they hold a ballot every month and distribute the COEs.

"And I read just a couple of days ago that Guangzhou is also doing the same - partly balloting, partly auctioning off licence plates which mean COEs.

"So they see Singapore doing it, they adapt, they are looking at us not as the only way but one example, and they find a solution which is workable and politically acceptable in China, and they move forward. We help them to map out one corner of the possibilities for new policies."

China is also interested in Singapore's social management and in building a harmonious society, according to Mr Lee.

Mr Lee said that is an area Singapore is still grappling with, especially in getting the young to develop a sense of community purpose and belonging beyond themselves and their families.

Mr Lee, who had spoken on the South China Sea dispute a day earlier in a speech at the Central Party School in Beijing, returned to the topic yesterday. He reiterated that it is crucial for the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) to weigh in on the territorial disputes with a view to resolving them constructively.

Adding that there is also a need for Singapore to make clear its stand, Mr Lee said: "Members will have disputes, but ASEAN has to take a stand and can take a neutral stand. It's like when the Thais have a dispute with Cambodia, ASEAN made a statement which didn't take sides with either Thailand or Cambodia. This was over the Preah Vihear temple, but ASEAN did have a view that it should be settled peacefully because otherwise it is going to do harm to ASEAN."

Mr Lee added: "We can't speak for America, we should not speak for America, we should not speak for China. We have to speak from Singapore's perspective. The Chinese understand our position. It's not inimical to the Chinese view and it is not very different in many major elements with what China is trying to achieve, because China does not want to raise a temperature or to have a conflict either."

Next Chinese President signals quicker reform
China's President-in-waiting, Mr Xi Jinping, has said the Communist Party must embrace reform with fresh vigour to stave off social and economic malaise, sources said, citing accounts of comments he made at a meeting with a prominent party reformer.

Vice-President Xi met Mr Hu Deping in the past six weeks, the sources said, in a gesture intended to show he was listening to voices calling for not only faster economic liberalisation but also relaxation of political controls.

"The problems that China has accumulated are unprecedented ... We must seek progress and change while remaining steady," one of the sources said, paraphrasing what he said was a written summary of Mr Xi's remarks circulated among some retired officials.

Mr Xi's comments suggested that his priorities on taking over from President Hu Jintao would be to shore up China's slowing economy and to give a boost to private business with tax reductions and other incentives, said one source.

Another source said Mr Xi also recognised the need to deal with "corruption and ill-discipline in the party".

"We've got to hold high the banner of reform, including political system reform," Mr Xi reportedly said.

But the source added that Mr Xi "has said that people are tired of big talk with no action, so he will avoid making unrealistic promises".

Mr Xi is all but certain to be confirmed as China's next top leader at the Communist Party's 18th Congress, which sources said was likely to be convened in the middle of next month. REUTERS

Sourced: todayonline