As a Singaporean, I found it fitting that new Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (
Our Taiwanese friends should not regard Lee's comments in a negative way. After all, at no time did Lee express any regrets over his four-day visit to Taipei last month. He merely regretted that such a visit caused some hiccups in Singapore-China relations. Also it should be noted that Lee never apologized to China for visiting Taiwan.
It is evident that Lee felt his visit to Taiwan was necessary. I believe many Singaporeans, including myself, supported the prime minister's visit. It would have been absurd for Lee to cancel the visit just because Beijing opposed it. Singapore is not a state of China and if it was to succumb to China's unreasonable demands, it would have cast a doubt over the sovereignty of the nation. Singapore is a small city-state but our integrity and sovereignty will never be compromised as a result of threats from a major power.
Having followed the cross-straits issue since 1999, I share the sentiments of Presidential Office General Su Tseng-chang (
On Lee's remarks that "Singapore would not support Taiwan if the it provoked a cross-strait conflict," I wonder what, then, the position of my country's leadership would be if a conflict is provoked by China? I believe Lee is merely urging Taiwan's government to be responsible in maintaining a cool and passive stance.
Lee probably meant well when he indicated that the Taiwanese media generally has a localized approach. Based on experience of Taiwan, I would say that I share that observation. The perception from the international community is that the Taiwanese people are more interested in which celebrity is dating which, rather than the latest news from Iraq. This is where the media plays a crucial role. Credit should be awarded to some media organizations which not only cover local and entertainment news. One example of this is the Taipei Times, which I read online daily. I hope the Taiwanese people would adopt a more globalized outlook and be wary of international events. Su's graciousness ad humility (and probably that of Chen's administration) is exemplified by his willingness to study Lee's overall observations about Taiwanese society and its politics and then seek to amend the mistakes if what Lee said is true.
In a way, I feel that the ball is in now China's court. They should adopt a more proactive approach to improving cross-straits relations. A strategy of `give and take' is inevitable if both sides are to benefit. While I am not optimistic of such an approach by Beijing in the near future, I am optimistic that relations between Singapore and Taiwan will be maintained at their warm, cordial level.
I sense that continuous levels of cultural, economic, political and educational exchanges between the two countries would benefit both Singapore and Taiwan.
Jason Lee Boon Hong
Singapore
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