Singapore, which will take over as ASEAN chair next year, will
promote stronger cooperation between the association and China. The
leaders of both countries also discussed the potential of new and
existing collaborations, including Singapore’s multiple roles in
China’s Belt
and Road Initiative.
The numerous possibilities for mutual cooperation between the two
countries reaffirm the importance of nurturing Singaporeans who
can, in their respective fields, tap into these opportunities and
serve as bridges between Singapore and China.
It is in this spirit that the Singapore Government has long
recognised the value of an education in China studies.
One of its key initiatives was the introduction of China studies as
a subject at the pre-university level from 2007. The programme
seeks to give students a strong understanding of China’s economic,
socio-political and geopolitical development.
This timely move, according to the Ministry of Education, was in
response “to a need for Singaporeans to acquire a good
understanding of China and the Chinese mindset, and to develop a
deep appreciation of Chinese culture” in the context of China’s
rise as a regional and global power.
Today, some may question the value of an education in China studies
given the deluge of information about China freely available on the
Internet.
While it may be true that Singaporeans know more about China today
than compared with a decade ago, their knowledge, gleaned from
disparate online sources and acquired out-of-context, is often
shallow and detached from geopolitical complexities.
This is evident from how many Singaporeans responded to the Terrex
incident by suggesting that our leaders should not have voiced out
in the South China Sea territorial disputes considering that
Singapore is not a claimant state. As their reasoning goes,
Singapore is a small country whereas China is big and hence we
should not have offended China.
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This view betrays a woeful ignorance about how upholding a
rules-based international order and the freedom of navigation in
international sea lanes is of paramount importance to Singapore’s
interests.
Amid the fast-changing geopolitical landscape, it is perhaps time
to rethink how we may best educate Singaporeans about China.
CHINA STUDIES WITH SINGAPORE CHARACTERISTICS
A student originating from China once remarked in class that my
explanation of “Socialism with Chinese characteristics” departed
from how it was understood in China. I had pointed out that
“Chinese characteristics” is essentially a catch-all phrase to
rationalise the inclusion of non-socialist elements in the
ideology.
And that is precisely how China studies taught in Singapore should
be understood: China studies with Singapore characteristics,
grounded in the broader context of regional geopolitics from a
Singapore perspective.
There are three reasons why the teaching of China studies with
Singapore characteristics is so crucial, in view of the rising
power’s growing reach in Asia.
First, it serves to forestall or guard against a disturbing trend
that, hopefully, has not arrived in Singapore.
In her New York Times op-ed, Merriden Varrall, Director of the East
Asia Programme at Australia’s Lowy Institute, raised concerns about
Chinese students’ objection to any critical view of China in the
Australian classroom and their proclivity to align themselves with
the Chinese Communist Party’s official stance.
Varrall’s account was corroborated by a recent spate of incidents
in which lecturers in Australian universities were pressured
by Chinese
students into apologising for comments or using materials
these students see as inimical to China’s interests and therefore
are “offensive.”
In Singapore, Chinese students should be made aware that our China
studies syllabus is not designed to toe any other country’s
line.
Under no circumstances should educators of China studies in
Singapore be cowed into apologising for teaching, for example, our
nation’s official stance on the South China Sea disputes.
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Second, a China studies programme that incorporates, for instance,
the evolution of Singapore-China relations, will foster an
understanding of Singapore’s consistent and pragmatic approach to
foreign policy that has underpinned its survival as a small
state.
In this era of fake news and fabricated social media posts, arming
Singaporeans with such knowledge would make them more discerning of
what they read.
This is in line with former Senior Minister S Jayakumar’s comments
earlier this year on the importance of Singaporeans understanding
our foreign policy, so that we do not fall prey to external
influences and become an unwitting pawn in their stratagem to harm
our own national interests.
Last, while Singapore and Singaporeans continue to ride on China’s
rise and tap into the opportunities afforded by its growing
economic might, there is a need to ensure that Singaporeans do not
lose sight of our nation’s interests.
To guard against the alarming prospect of Finlandisation, which
refers to how a smaller state has to bend its policies to satisfy
the demands of a larger neighbour, we have to nurture Singaporeans
- which will include our future leaders, policymakers, diplomats
and intellectuals - who understand the complexities of engaging
China, as well as the opportunities and risks that come along with
it.
A China studies programme with a Singapore perspective will allow
students to see China’s development from our position, as a small
but nonetheless sovereign state in Asia.
In short, we need Singaporeans with not only a deep knowledge of
China, but also a keen awareness of Singapore’s interests and
vulnerabilities.
And herein lies the value of an education in China studies, with
Singapore characteristics.
Dr Yew Chiew Ping is head of the Contemporary China Studies Minor
at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
Read more at
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/commentary-the-growing-importance-of-china-studies-with-9238956