By Cai Haoxiang
WANT to work successfully in China? Bring with you skills the
Chinese do not have, said Mr Lee Kuan Yew last night.
These can be an intimate knowledge of and links with parts of
the world that matter to China, such as South-east Asia and Western
countries like America, he said.
Minister Mentor Lee was responding to a question from Nanyang
Technological University undergraduate Lin Wei Qi, who interned in
Shanghai for six months last year and was interested to work in
China again after graduating next year.
She asked: 'Other than bilingual and bicultural skills, what
else do I need?'
Mr Lee replied in Mandarin that skills in language and culture
would not be sufficient. For example, there is little point having
Chinese-language abilities as good as those of the Chinese
nationals when there is no shortage of people there with mastery in
the language.
As an example of the value that Singaporeans can bring to China,
he noted that at least 30 per cent of Singaporeans have had
exposure to Western countries, while only 0.01 per cent of the
Chinese have.
'They don't have your background. You bring something of
value.'
Responding later to another question on whether Singapore should
aim to develop an environment that is 'more Chinese' than today's
in order to stay relevant to China, Mr Lee argued that one
advantage that Singapore has over China is precisely that it is
English-speaking.
This has enabled it to understand the world, making it a useful
intermediary between China and the West.
For example, when former German chancellor Helmut Kohl wanted to
know more about China, he would often talk to Mr Lee.
'Singapore has got to where it is by emphasising English,' he
said.
While China's political leaders can speak to American leaders,
they cannot do so on a more intimate basis, he said.
In any case, Mr Lee added, Singapore cannot be like China since
its ethnic composition and geographical location are different from
China's.
Singapore's biggest trading partners are Malaysia and the United
States, he noted. China trade accounts for only a fifth of its
Gross Domestic Product.
'Singapore cannot be a China. For one thing, we are in the
tropics, surrounded by South-east Asia,' he said.
Earlier, asking his audience to bear with him while he switched
from speaking in English to speaking in Mandarin, Mr Lee said that
if his command of English was an A, his command of Chinese merited
at best a C or D.
This article was first published in The
Straits Times.
****************************************************
Why is it that PRCs who have the same skills as the locals
are encouraged to work in Singapore while Singaporeans are
encouraged that they will be successful to work in China if they
have skills China Chinese do not have ???? In other words,
does it mean that locals are not competent as the China
Chinese?
Double standard????
Bullcrap by the senile oppressive lky.
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