Collaboration with other Asian countries is for the greater good of Singapore
ST Forum > The following is an article I contributed to the ST Forum
Aug 24, 2007
THE recent news reports about Singapore forging greater ties with Vietnam should serve as an inspiration to many in addition to the good relations we enjoy with the country at the governmental level.
There is foreseeable potential in both countries cooperating by, among other things, supporting greater economic exchanges and providing a platform for ease of doing business.
Having many Vietnamese friends on my university campus have made me come to a realisation that the Vietnamese are a group of very driven people with a zeal for education. Indeed, these are qualities worth emulating as Singapore goes into its next phase of development.
In as much as we have come a long way, and have time and again been lauded for our economic success, we can barely rest on our laurels. Going forward, we have to continually innovate and better ourselves in the face of increasing economic challenges from the rapidly growing economies of China, India and Vietnam.
Additionally, we should not view such economic challenges as adversarial; instead, we should work on cooperating with these countries on all possible fronts. In this way, synergy can be achieved, which will grant Singapore leverage in various areas.
Indeed, Asia is a hodgepodge of cultural elements; however, we can cooperate on areas such as defence and education without fear of losing our unique cultural identities, yet, granting us a bigger voice on the global stage. This is especially critical for a geographically small country as ours.
Aug 24, 2007
THE recent news reports about Singapore forging greater ties with Vietnam should serve as an inspiration to many in addition to the good relations we enjoy with the country at the governmental level.
There is foreseeable potential in both countries cooperating by, among other things, supporting greater economic exchanges and providing a platform for ease of doing business.
Having many Vietnamese friends on my university campus have made me come to a realisation that the Vietnamese are a group of very driven people with a zeal for education. Indeed, these are qualities worth emulating as Singapore goes into its next phase of development.
In as much as we have come a long way, and have time and again been lauded for our economic success, we can barely rest on our laurels. Going forward, we have to continually innovate and better ourselves in the face of increasing economic challenges from the rapidly growing economies of China, India and Vietnam.
Additionally, we should not view such economic challenges as adversarial; instead, we should work on cooperating with these countries on all possible fronts. In this way, synergy can be achieved, which will grant Singapore leverage in various areas.
Indeed, Asia is a hodgepodge of cultural elements; however, we can cooperate on areas such as defence and education without fear of losing our unique cultural identities, yet, granting us a bigger voice on the global stage. This is especially critical for a geographically small country as ours.
posted by VERNON at
12:16 PM
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