Singapore is Small and Beautiful. Taiwan Can Be Too

Singapore is Small and Beautiful. Taiwan Can Be Too 
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
September 13, 2010

This newspaper recently addressed the issue of Singapore, and interviewed Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. We reported on the economic cooperation agreement between Taipei and Singapore. We also published an in-depth investigation of Singapore's path to economic success. Singapore and Taiwan are quite similar in terms of innate advantages. But Singapore has been more courageous in confronting real world difficulties and international challenges. It has aggressively transformed deficits into assets. In many ways, Taiwan would do well to emulate Singapore.

Singapore is a small country, which like the Taiwan Region of the Republic of China, lacks natural resources. Yet it has been an amazing success story, one that nations with far larger populations and far greater resources look on with envy. In terms of national competitiveness and cleanliness, it is invariably ranked near the top. The World Economic Forum released its Global Competitiveness report on the 9th of this month. Singapore came in third. Singapore's success is due to outstanding leadership, but also because it has the courage to confront challenges, to seize opportunities, to make judgements, to act decisively, to follow through, and to look to the future.

Singapore is a tiny island nation. Drive 20 minutes northward, and one finds oneself in Malaysia. Indonesia is visible with the naked eye to the south. Singapore is virtually defenseless and without natural barriers. Singapore is highly exposed. Yet it is utterly fearless and has not the slightest desire to close itself off. Instead, it courageously welcomes the challenges posed by the outside world. It makes superb use of its location as a geographic hub. It has turned itself into a zero-tariff free port. As Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said, "To develop, we must develop outward. We must make use of the economics of scale. We must transcend the limits imposed on our nation by its size." Singapore may be small, but it is courageous. Its positive and pragmatic strategies have transformed it into "the world's Singapore." So far the results have been outstanding.

And so it is with Mainland China's rapid rise in recent years. Singapore also took the initiative to hitch its wagon to Mainland China's star. It has established close economic and trade relations with Mainland China. It is also taking advantage of its experience with economic development to cooperate with Mainland China in developing such projects as the Suzhou Industrial Park and Tianjin Eco-city. Taipei and Singapore are about to sign an economic cooperation agreement. This will further contribute to trilateral trade between Singapore, Taipei, and Beijing. It will open yet another channel for Singapore's economic growth.

In recent years, Singapore has been plagued by a shrinking and aging population, It has substantially increased the number of foreign workers, permanent residents and immigrants. It must make up for insufficient human resources and human labor. in order to maintain its economic vitality and competitiveness. Singapore's current population of 4.8 million includes over one million foreign workers and permanent residents. The ratio of locals to outsiders is nearly three to one.

Taiwan confronts a far less numerous foreign labor and immigrant population. Yet we often hear shrill demands for their exclusion. Singaporeans may complain about overpopulation, skyrocketing real estate prices, and about being elbowed out of jobs and educational opportunities. But their acceptance of immigrants as the driving force behind their economic policy remains unchanged. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has urged people to accept immigrants with open hearts, and to learn how to cope with international competition even earlier, in school. Actually, despite fierce international competition, Singapore has never pullled back merely to protect itself. Instead, it has bravely charged into battle. It has forced itself to grow and to leapfrog the competition. For example, it adopted an open skies policy. Singapore Airlines was required to complete on the basis of its own strength, Singapore Airlines is now one of the best airlines in the world. Singapore's basic philosophy is that government should take care of the people, but not over-protect them. Otherwise, the people and the country will lose their competitiveness. People on Taiwan ought to think long and hard about Lee's insight.

Another example is the use of water resources. Singapore has long been short of water. It must purchase it from Malaysia. This puts the lifeblood of its economic system in someone else's hands. But Singapore overcame all difficulties to develop advanced water harvesting and waste water recycling and purification technology. This, along with desalination technology, has made it self-sufficient in water use. It has even made Singapore an exporter of water resources technology. Singapore confronted its disadvantages and overcame them. It transformed weaknesses into strengths. Singapore's success story teaches us that any country that makes the right choices and has an unyielding will, can create its own growth.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in an interview with this newspaper, also offered some views on Singapore/Taipei economic cooperation and cross-Strait relations. He pointed out that economic cooperation and free trade are advantageous for many countries. Singapore has a large network of partners. If one cooperates with Singapore, other Asian countries may well consider following suit. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he also looked forward to Taipei and Beijing signing the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA). He said that although it is an economic agreement, the long-term narrowing of the cross-Strait gap is part of a larger historical current. It is the right thing to do. ECFA will have a postive impact on the Asia-Pacific region. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's comments were pertinent and pragmatic. They were further evidence that the international community looks forward to improved cross-Strait relations.

Taiwan and Singapore have similarities and differences. Conditions for Taiwan and Singapore are also different. But Singapore's experience of successfully confronting its challenges, its ability to make forward-looking and pragmatic decisions, and its ability to effectively execute those decisions, are precisely what Taiwan needs to learn.

新加坡小而美 台灣不鎖國也做得到
2010-09-13
中國時報

本報最近推出新加坡專題，並專訪新加坡總理李顯龍，除了對台星經濟合作協議進行報導之外，也對新加坡發展成功之道深入探討。新加坡的先天條件與處境和台灣相當類似，但在現實困境與國際挑戰下，新加坡卻更加勇於面對，積極化逆勢為優勢，在許多方面都值得台灣學習。

和台灣一樣，新加坡也是個缺乏天然資源的小國，卻能打造出驚人成就，令世界許多人口、資源遠超過新加坡的國家望塵莫及，在國家競爭力與清廉排行上總是名列前茅，世界經濟論壇九日發布的全球競爭力報告裡，新加坡更是蟬聯第三。綜觀新加坡的成功之道，除了優秀的領導階層外，更因為勇於面對挑戰、精準掌握時機、周詳決策、明快行動、認真貫徹，以及能以前瞻眼光長遠布局。

新加坡這個迷你島國，往北開車廿分鐘就到馬來西亞，朝南可以看見印尼，可以說毫無屏障保護。但如此極度暴露的新加坡，卻沒有絲毫畏縮閉鎖，反而勇敢迎向外在世界的挑戰，善用地理樞紐位置，把自己經營成一個零關稅的自由港。誠如李顯龍總理所說的，「要發展，就必須向外發展；要有經濟規模，就要超越我們國家局限。」新加坡雖然小，卻以勇敢、積極且務實的策略，把自己經營成「世界的新加坡」，至今成果斐然。

同樣的，面對中國近年來迅速崛起，新加坡也主動向前，全力抓住中國成長的勢頭。除了更緊密的經貿交流外，新加坡也以本身卓越的發展經驗，與中國進行蘇州工業園區、天津生態城等合作案。如今台星即將洽簽經濟合作協議，將進一步促成星、台、中貿易三角的成形，為新加坡的經貿發展又開通了一個管道。

近年來新加坡面臨人口萎縮及老化問題，開始大幅增加外來工作者、永久居民（ＰＲ）及移民，以彌補人才與勞動力之不足，維持經濟活力與競爭力。現在新加坡的四百八十餘萬人口裡，外來工作者及永久居民就佔了一百多萬，幾乎三個本地人就要面對一個外來人。

台灣面對的外勞與移民的人口比例遠低於此，卻常有反彈排斥之聲，相較之下，新加坡雖然也出現對人口擁擠、房市飆漲、排擠工作與教育機會的怨言，但接納移民以為經濟注入動力的政策方向並沒有改變。新加坡總理李顯龍更呼籲人民要以包容之心接納移民，並且更早從學校裡就學習去面對國際競爭。事實上，面對激烈的國際競爭，新加坡從來不會畏縮只求自保，而是勇敢迎上前去投入搏鬥，逼自己成長、超越對手。例如採取開放天空政策，要求新航必須靠自己的實力在競爭中脫穎而出，如今新航果然是舉世數一數二的航空公司。新加坡的基本理念是，政府要照顧人民，但不能過度保護人民，否則人民和國家都會失去競爭力，這點很值得台灣深思。

另一個例子是水資源的利用，新加坡原本缺水，必須向馬來西亞購買，以致於民生命脈制於他手。但新加坡努力克服困境，發展出完善先進的集水及回收廢水淨化技術，加上海水淡化技術，不但已經能在用水上自給自足，還成為水資源技術的輸出國。面對缺點、努力克服、化弱項為強項，新加坡的成功經驗，說明一個國家如果有正確決策及不服輸的意志，可以如何創造出自己的成長。

新加坡總理李顯龍在接受本報專訪時，對台星經濟合作協議及兩岸關係也有所分析。他指出，經濟合作、自由貿易對許多國家都有很多好處，新加坡是個體系性的合作對象，如果與新加坡有合作，其他亞洲國家也會慎重考慮是不是應該跟進。李顯龍總理並表示樂見兩岸簽署《經濟合作架構協議》（ＥＣＦＡ），他認為雖然它是經濟協議，但長期會把兩岸關係拉近，這是大勢所趨，也是應該做的事情，而ＥＣＦＡ將會對整個亞太區域產生正面的影響。李顯龍總理的評論中肯而務實，說明了國際社會對兩岸關係的期待。

台星之間有同有異，台灣有些狀況也和新加坡不同，但觀察新加坡的成功經驗，可以發現它勇敢面對挑戰、前瞻務實的決策、貫徹有效的執行力，應該正是台灣最需要學習的。