THE Singapore story is heading to Spain, with a Spanish edition of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's memoir.

Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo, who launched the new edition in Barcelona on Sunday, described it as a 'harbinger' of things to come.

'It is a happy event reflecting Singapore's growing interest in the Spanish-speaking world and what we see to be a growing interest by the Spanish-speaking world in Asia and Singapore,' he said.

Noting that economic links between Spain and Singapore are currently not substantial, he hoped that both countries will forge closer ties in the future.

'Singapore is a natural partner for Spain in the new Asia,' he said, adding that Asia will emerge as a prominent world player once the global financial storm blows over.

'We are the most westernised city in Asia with deep links to East, Southeast, South and West Asia.'

Spain, after joining the European Union in 1986, has been growing rapidly and is the eighth biggest economy in the world.

But it needs a 'comprehensive' strategy to engage Asia, including Singapore, he said.

In 2001, then-Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar had planned an official visit to Singapore where he was to give a speech on Spain's new policy towards Asia, Mr Yeo revealed. But his visit was cancelled due to the death of his father.

There have been moves to improve ties between Singapore and Spain. Just last week, the chief executive of Spain's trade and promotions agency was in Singapore to encourage local businessmen to invest in Spain.

Currently, Spain ranks 12th among Singapore's European partners. Mr Yeo hoped that ranking would improve.

'All over Asia, there is considerable interest in the transformation of Singapore from a squalid, over-populated Third World city to a modern metropolis,' he said.

This keen interest, he added, was due to the role played by MM Lee as Singapore's first Prime Minister. His memoirs have been translated into many languages and are 'widely read' by political and business leaders.

The two volumes have been translated into Chinese, Malay, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Russian, Vietnamese, Hebrew and Hungarian.

The Spanish edition was a project led by Mr Josep Manuel Basanez, Singapore's honorary consul-general in Barcelona, and jointly sponsored by the Barcelona Chambers of Commerce and a group of Singaporean businessmen led by Mr Philip Ng, Singapore's non-resident ambassador to Chile, a Spanish-speaking country.