By Connie Er
A CONFIDENT-LOOKING teenager strode up to the microphone at a
recent forum in Singapore and asked if China's leaders had what it
took to push for even greater reforms than what the legendary Deng
Xiaoping accomplished.
Noting that the late paramount leader had the support of the
military when he pushed through economic reforms, the Dunman High
student wondered aloud how far President Hu Jintao and his likely
successor Xi Jinping would be able to take reforms without a
comparable military background.
Would China's economic development falter, causing instability
or even the collapse of the Chinese Communist Party, asked the
student.
The occasion was the first in the China Insight forum series
organised by Singapore-based networking group Business China. The
guest speaker was Hong Kong Phoenix TV commentator and veteran
journalist Yang Jinlin.
The student's question earned him praise from Dr Yang.
'I'm very impressed that Singaporean students are of such high
calibre. There's certainly great hope for Singapore!' declared Dr
Yang.
The teenager replied: 'Er, sorry, but I'm from China.'
The audience roared with laughter.
The student was not the only Chinese person who spoke up. Out of
eight questions from the floor, six others came from his
countrymen.
It was a sober reminder that in Singapore-China networking, it
is the recent arrivals from China who are taking the lead.
The forum had drawn some 500 people, mainly Business China
members, working partners and university and Special Assistance
Plan school students.
Many were Chinese exchange students. They were concerned about
how China could win over the hearts of the Taiwanese and the world.
In short, they wanted to know how China could promote its culture
globally.
Resourceful young Chinese people studying or working in
Singapore have been quick to link up with their countrymen and to
stay abreast of new developments back home.
In a sign of the active participation of the Chinese in local
networks, the April 4 inaugural forum was supported by the Xiamen
University Alumni. (Dr Yang holds a doctorate in history from the
university.)
Previous waves of immigrants, dating back to the 1850s, might
have joined clan associations. But many of the recent arrivals from
China, including students, are not from southern China. They do not
speak the southern dialects of Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese or
Hainanese.
They come from all over China, including mega-cities such as
Beijing and Shanghai, and north-eastern provinces like Heilongjiang
and the central provinces like Hunan.
Many of the newly arrived Chinese are better educated than
previous generations of assimilated ethnic Chinese. They are keen
to join broad-based associations organised by bilingual new
migrants, like the Hua Yuan Association, reported Professor Liu
Hong, formerly of the Chinese Studies department at National
University of Singapore, in his book New Migrants And The Revival
Of Overseas Chinese Nationalism.
The Hua Yuan Association as well as the Tian Fu Club and Tianjin
Club are some of the groups formed by mainland Chinese in
Singapore. The three groups have more than 4,000 members between
them, many of whom are university graduates.
But the new generation of Chinese expatriates and immigrants is
also keen to network through local organisations like the Singapore
Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) - which in fact
started as a self-help group in 1906 to serve new Chinese
immigrants.
To help the new arrivals integrate into society, the SCCCI set
up its Immigrants Liaison Group in 2007 and it drew entrepreneurs
and professionals into the fold.
Business China - a brainchild of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew -
was also set up by the SCCCI, in November 2007.
It aims to help those who are interested in sharpening their
bilingual and bicultural edge to engage China. The new forum series
it is organising will invite academics and industry experts from
China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore to offer their views on
issues that will have an impact on China and the world.
Business China's chief executive officer Josephine Teo, who is
an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, has said special attention would be
given to helping younger Singaporeans know China better.
Judging from the response at the forum, Chinese nationals are
also benefiting.
Only one question at the forum was posed by a Singaporean. It
came after the forum's moderator, Ms Chun Guek Lay, specifically
invited Singaporeans to speak up.
The Singaporean, who identified himself as an alumnus of Dunman
High, greeted Dr Yang in Hokkien, and then asked, in Mandarin,
about conflicts between old and new forces in China as it emerges
as a strong power.
But it was the Chinese who had led the way in asking the
questions. Singaporeans have much to learn from them - even in
their own country.
After the session ended, the Dunman High student who had asked
the question about Deng Xiaoping approached his teacher - also a
Chinese national - who evaluated his performance.
'I think you should have got straight to the point when asking
questions, instead of providing so much context,' the teacher said.
'But hey, well done,' she added, beaming.
When even a question is a teachable moment, you know the Chinese
here mean business.
[email protected]
The writer is Assistant Foreign Editor
This article was first published in The Straits
Times.
Source:
http://news.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20100514-216208.html
