Singapore and China are physically and population wise on opposite ends of the spectrum. But the state construction of elites facilitates a great deal of collaboration and synthesis. By needing to rely on each other's macroeconomic and facilitative abilities within the Washington Consensus framework. A powerful synthesis is created. However, do they see each other clearly?

1. ..
China and Singapore- what does
China get from us and what goes
beyond academic discourse

2. What is the issue?
Why do Singapore and Beijing enjoy a special relationship in the
Asia Pacific framework dominated by the Washington
Consensus, and what implications does it have for the rest of
Washington's East Asian partners?
What do you mean by the Washington Consensus?
Constuc ed durng t apex of t c d war t m ull er
r t
i
he
he ol
, he
tat al
i
c
onsens i f ii at by publ goods suc as an or
us s acl ed
t
i
c
h
gani
zed
r onaldef e under r
egi
enc
gi ded by US m ii ar m i , t oper i
l y ght he
t
at
on
of i er i
nt nat
onal f
i
nancal and l
i
egal or
gani i
zat
ons suc as t
h
he
W TO, W ord Bank and W IPRO al
l
ong wi h t t i openi of
t he act
ng
US m ar et t ex torent gr h fom t orgi m em ber
k s o por i ed owt r
he i nal
s
suc as Sout Kor Japan and Tai
h
h
ea,
wan.
Beeson, M . and Bel S., f t om i
l
,
orhc ng, ‘The stong and t weak i
r
he
n
word c t i s Stuc ur , i t utons and agenc i t
l api al
sm :
r t es ns i i
t
y n he

3. What do I mean by a special
relationship?
The “special relationship” is coined by Lee Kuan Yew himself in a Forbes
Magazine article “China's Rise: A Shift in Global Influence
“our s
econd l
anguage i Chi
s
nese, i i t
t s aughti our school Thus we
n
s.
s e an ease i com m uni i
har
n
caton, whi h has been a f t i about
c
ac or n
3,500 Chi
nese c pani
om
es decdi
i ng t base t r oper i
o
hei
atons i
n
Si
ngapor - 55 ofwhi h ar l ed on t Si
e- 1
c
e i
st
he ngapor Ex
e change. Fr
om
Si
ngapor t Chi
e he
nese ar abl t st
e
e o udy t r on and event l
he egi
ual
y
ent t m ar et of M al a, Indonesi t Phii nes, Thaiand
er he
k s
aysi
a, he
l
ppi
l
and M y
anm ar
.
Bec e Si
aus
ngapor
ean Chi
nese speak M andarn, ourbusi
i
nessm en, when
i
nvest i Chi
i
ng n
na, have f
ound i easy t i egr e Chi
t
o nt at
na's wor s
ker
wi h our . Butl tSi
t
s
es ngapor - any ot county i t ar -or
e- or
her
r n he ea- f get
t i i a s al and younger county, Chi
hat t s
m l
er
r
nese ofi i s obl
fcal
i
quel
y
r i our t t r wrten hi or goes back 5,000 year t 3000
em nd
s hat hei
it
st y
s o
B.C., l ng uns
eavi
poken t queston: "
he
i
How ol i yourc
ds
ounty?"
r

4. So... how do I analyze this
relationship
My hypothesis is that China and Singapore rely on each other to
sustain an edge within the Washington consensus and as a
means to transcend the institutional liberalism by utilizing each
other's strengths to form the basis for a form of “flexible
authoritarianism”
Both parties are relying on the mutual cognitive identity of single
party developmental state elitism along the lines of statedetermined cultural and ethnic similarities. However, the mutual
ideation is flawed and does not correspond with emergent trend

5. What do I mean by a special
relationship?
Xi Jin Ping and Singapore

Quotation from Prime Minister's Office- Singapore
Before they went behind closed doors, Mr Xi expressed his 'deep condolences'
to MM Lee on the loss of his wife, Madam Kwa Geok Choo, 89, who died
last month” 'I hope you will overcome your grief and take good care of your
health,' he told Mr Lee, 87, in Mandarin


His visit here is his first as China's vice-president, although he has been to
Singapore four times before. The last was in 1993 when he was party
secretary of Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province.
(Fujian Province happens to be the largest language dialect group within the
ethnic Chinese community in Singapore)
It is also his first overseas trip since becoming vice-chairman of China's
powerful Central Military Commission, an appointment that entrenches him
as the heir apparent of President Hu Jintao..

http://www.pmo.gov.sg/content/pmosite/mediacentre/inthenews/ministermen
tor/2010/November/xi_jinping_in_singaporetostrengthenfriendship.html

6. What do I mean by a special
relationship?

Li Keqiang
Li said relations between the two countries, especially their pragmatic
cooperation had developed well since the forging of diplomatic ties.
Both sides have always given top priority to developing their relations
and combined bilateral cooperation with their respective national
characteristics, advantages and development strategy.


Singapore is currently China's third largest trading partner in ASEAN
and the two countries are each other's important source of foreign
investment. "We hope to work closely with Singapore to strengthen
political mutual trust, reinforce the social foundation and advance the
construction of the Suzhou Industrial Park and Tianjin Eco-City,"
Source from Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx/t949638.htm

http://www.pmo.gov.sg/content/pmosite/mediacentre/pressreleases/2012/N

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/11/14/world/asia/the-new-

7. What do I mean by a special
relationship?

Editorial written by Xi Jinping himself:
"Since
1968, the People's Action Party has won consecutive elections
and held state power for a long time, while ensuring that the party's
high efficiency, incorruptibility and vitality leads Singapore in attaining
an economic leap forward," said the article by Song Xiongwei, a
Chinese Academy of Governance lecturer.
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1067561/communist-party-journal-su
China sees Singapore as a like minded authoritarian Chinese
dominated state with a keen eye on state centric industrialization and
social control. While retaining classical aspects of confucianist ruling
ideologies stemming from legalism and official incorruptibility.
The CCP looks towards Singapore as a sideway step from western
liberalism and socialist planned economic measures; which retains
high levels of technocratic growth and emphasis on central authority

8. Much more than just trade



First country to visit China following Tiananmen
and first to relax visa restrictions
Largest to second largest nett investor
(Singapore to China) and largest trading
partner (surpassing US)
Tianjin Eco City and Suzhou Industrial Park
(SIP)- high level skills transfer, transnational
capital monitoring, Singaporean legal
infrastructure- including intellectual property
avoidance from US/EU markets

9. The Cities Built by Singapore... in
China

“
Tianjin Eco-City

10. The Cities Built by Singapore... in
China



Suzhou Industrial Park- planned and implemented
immediately during Deng Xiaoping's Southern Tour to
boost global investor confidence
The majority shareholders of the project include a
China consortium, which holds 52% of the project, and
a Singapore consortium holding 28% of the project in
which Sembcorp has a 8.34% share.
http://www.sembcorp.com/en/integrated-urbandevelopment-china-chinasingapore_suzhou_industrial_park.aspx

11. Constructivist Foreign Policy

Mutual identity creation- a muddle on both sides?
−
Singapore is multi-ethnic, the elite are predominantly
western oriented and ethnic Chinese population is at 40%
−
China is huge mainland power AS WELL AS a maritime
power, the South China Sea issue is not the only axe it has
to grind
−
Singapore is committed to multi-lateral peace arrangements
and is a key American capital and military base of operations
in the global sphere
−
Singapore is NOT a dictatorship-ruling party can lose and
has lost over 40% of the popular vote since 2011.
−
China is not interested in turning itself to the largest flying
geese in the Washington consensus model.

12. Beyond Liberalism or Realism




Singapore is pulled by the greater Indian and the Nusantara
impulse due to its multi-ethnic elite
Hence, sitting at the mid point of an intensifying three way pull
between India, China and the US. With Japan watching the new
“great game” with rising interest. Indonesia and the greater
Malay sphere of influence is not going to sit by as well.
Large scale migration of Chinese intellectuals and capital
interest into Singapore has resulted in growing domestic
discomfort while the Chinese migrants are mostly looking for
safe havens in other international destinations
The tail can't always wag the dog, Chinese policy mimicking
has its limits due to the sheer georgraphical and population size
differences

13. What are the implications?





Is Chinese foreign policy based on neo-orientalist lines
which are dependent on flawed perceptions based on
“race” and “tradition”?
How does China interpret and operate within the
international Westphalian and Washington Consensus
framework? Especially with states which survive through
it?
How does China deal with peripheral states?
If China is seduced by Singapore's “flexible authoritarian”
development model, what happens when that model
shifts?
http://www.theage.com.au/world/united-asean-urges-talkswith-china-20121119-29lqw.html