Singapore’s relevance to China hinges on understanding of its evolving priorities: Chan Chun Sing

SINGAPORE - Interactions via a “special channel” between Singapore’s public servants and officials from the Communist Party of China (CPC) offer the Republic a rare window into Beijing’s thinking, and allows it to be more relevant in sharing insights about common policy challenges.

These range from geopolitical shifts to pivoting to high-quality growth economically to social issues such as an ageing population and young people with increasingly diverse aspirations, said Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing.

He was speaking with local media at an interview on Nov 13 ahead of the upcoming Singapore-China Forum on Leadership, a biennial forum that brings together senior members of Singapore’s public service and the CPC’s Central Organisation Department.

“I don’t think the (CPC) has many such interactions with many other countries. We are a very unique partner,” said Mr Chan, who is also Singapore’s Defence Minister.

“It allows us to delve into topics of leadership development at a much deeper level and this allows us, and helps us, to understand China better. Not just what they do and how they do, but why they do what they do,” he added.

Such understanding would allow Singapore to cooperate better with China and find new opportunities for collaboration, he said.

Dubbed “the largest human resources department in the world”, the CPC’s Central Organisation Department oversees the deployment of thousands of party cadres throughout China’s political system, and has a hand in grooming and promoting future party leaders.

Its head, Mr Shi Taifeng, who is a member of the CPC’s Political Bureau, will be co-chairing the leadership forum with Mr Chan, who has co-chaired the previous two editions, one of

which was held in Beijing in 2023

and the other held virtually in 2021 because of Covid-19 restrictions at the time.

The 10th edition of the forum, which takes place on Nov 18, is themed “Transformative Leadership in Times of Great Change” and coincides with the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Singapore and China.

Mr Chan noted at the interview at the Treasury building that China has to navigate a very changed world today.

“The trade relationships are now different. The geopolitical relationships are different. And I will say that even the military relationships are constantly evolving,” he said.

Speaking with senior Chinese leaders that Singapore would otherwise not have access to via its other exchanges – whether between ministries or through provincial business councils and government-to-government projects – presents an opportunity to understand how the Chinese see the world and how they intend to conduct their business with other countries.

Mr Chan said discussions will focus on three sub-topics: geopolitical shifts, China’s pursuit of high-quality economic growth in an era of rapid and disruptive technological changes, and domestic societal challenges.

He noted that the topics slated for discussion were areas of concern for the Chinese, as shown in

their 15th Five-Year Plan

that charts the country’s economic and social development strategy from 2026 to 2030, the proposals of which were released in October.

“Based on the three topics, I think there are obviously areas that we can work on – for example, on the geopolitical front, where both of us can work together to contribute to the regional peace, upholding the global order, and also maybe come up with new ideas on how the global rules can be developed for the benefit of all,” the minister said.

On the economic front, Mr Chan said China in the past may have been more concerned with quantity, scale and size, but it has increasingly pivoted towards innovation and the quality of growth.

Noting that Singapore has never been able to talk about size and scale but always talks about speed, innovation, relevance and quality, he said China’s new focus presents “opportunities for us to work together to mutually share our perspective of the world and how we can take... our different economic models forward”.

He added that there was potential for more joint projects between the two countries.

As China’s development continues to advance, it is also now facing domestic social challenges similar to those of other countries, including Singapore.

Mr Chan pointed to two of these challenges – an ageing population and an increasingly affluent younger generation with more diverse aspirations.

On these issues, the minister said there is room for both countries to exchange ideas: for the aged, on how to better manage housing and retirement adequacy.

For the younger generation, it would be on how to harness their energy in a positive way that promotes growth and development for their country.

He said: “This is how I think, for a small country like Singapore, we can be relevant to other bigger countries, other partners.

“Because we spend time and effort to deeply understand their needs, their concerns, their aspirations, so that we can find common ground to work together amidst all these changes.”

Another benefit of the upcoming leadership forum is that it provides a platform for Singapore’s leaders to understand and build personal ties with a new generation of up-and-coming Chinese leaders, added Mr Chan.

“Over the past nine editions of this forum, we have made many good and old friends. So we can better understand their thinking and mindset, and find new collaborative projects,” he said.

He cited the example of Mr Zhao Leji, who was formerly head of the Central Organisation Department and is now the third-ranked official in the CPC’s Politburo Standing Committee, China’s top decision-making body.

Mr Chan said hosting Mr Zhao in Singapore when they were both younger men allowed them to build a certain trust and openness.

Similarly, he noted how his current counterpart, Mr Shi, had worked with Singaporean officials on the Suzhou Industrial Park and other projects in the past.

“In working with China, it is not just about working on the projects, per se, but it is also about working the relationship behind the projects,” Mr Chan said.

“The projects may change, but if the relationship is strong, that allows us to go into different projects and evolve the projects even as we move along,” he added.

Mr Chan also noted that Singapore does not play the short game when building such relationships with China, as well as with any other country.

“We invest time and effort to understand and get to know people over a long time. It may or may not pay off, but I think that’s how we deal with a relationship that is long-lasting,” he added.

On the trajectory of Singapore-China ties, Mr Chan said he hopes the bilateral relationship is one that will keep evolving with the times.

“We cannot view China through outdated thinking or a singular lens because China is a diverse society. China has different needs at each stage of development,” he said.

“At different stages, we have different cooperative projects, whether it is economic cooperation, social governance cooperation, or even projects to cultivate and develop our leadership. It is multifaceted,” he added.