SPEECH BY MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS GEORGE YEO AT THE WORLD CHINESE
ENTREPRENEURS CONVENTION (WCEC) IN MANILA ON 20 NOVEMBER 2009
Sweetening the Milk
Dear friends
Ladies and gentlemen
After Manila, the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention (WCEC) will be
returning to Singapore after 20 years in 2011. As Minister for Information
and the Arts, I was involved in the organisation of the first convention
which was led by Mr Tan Eng Joo. It was then 2 years after the Tiananmen
Incident. China was growing again with the Pearl River Delta taking the
lead. Ethnic Chinese capital from Taiwan, Hong Kong and ASEAN provided much
of the initial investment. Later that year, Deng Xiaoping made his famous
southern tour, moving heaven and earth, to put China back on the path of
reform and opening up.
Ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs outside China were the first to sense the
beginning of an explosive growth phase which would eventually encompass all
of China and transform its destiny. It was in that context that Singapore
Chinese business leaders organised a world convention in 1991. The first
meeting was a great success and saw the formation of a Founder Members
board, comprising the Chinese Chambers of Commerce from Singapore, Hong
Kong and Thailand, to ensure the continuity of the WCEC. Minister Mentor
Lee Kuan Yew opened the first convention and also spoke at the second
meeting in Hong Kong.
Since the first meeting, Asia, and China in particular, has made enormous
strides. When the next meeting is held in Singapore in 2011, the world will
also be celebrating the Centennial of the 1911 Revolution. I say 'the
world' and not just China because the historical importance of the 1911
Revolution goes beyond China. Influenced by Western ideas and the Meiji
Restoration in Japan, Dr Sun Yat-Sen and his fellow revolutionaries were
determined to rid China of imperial rule and its feudal culture. It was a
revolution that had first to take place in the Chinese mind. Ethnic Chinese
outside China played a major role contributing ideas, resources and
manpower. In August 1905, the Tongmenghui was formed in Tokyo. Eight months
later in April 1906, the Southeast Asian branch was established in
Singapore. All over the world, ethnic Chinese were caught up in the great
struggles on the Chinese Mainland, helping to change China and being
changed by it. Business leaders, intellectuals, manual workers, students
were all involved. To fight Japanese militarism, ethnic Chinese were
mobilised worldwide, and they in turn enlisted the help of millions of
non-Chinese supporters.
With the end of the Pacific War in 1945, the old empires were dismantled
and independent nation states emerged one after another. In China, civil
war ensued with the Communist gaining victory in 1949 and the Kuomintang
retreating to Taiwan. In Southeast Asia, the political loyalty of ethnic
Chinese to the new nation states was often called into question. There were
complex divisions among the ethnic Chinese themselves - between old Chinese
who were born in these countries and recent migrants, between supporters of
indigenous nationalism and Chinese nationalism, between sympathisers of
Communist China and sympathisers of Republican China, and between left
wingers and right wingers.
Each country had a different story to tell of failure and success, and of
pain and joy. Regardless of their political views, the ethnic Chinese
retained certain cultural characteristics - unbreakable family networks, a
high regard for education, and a strong work ethic combined with a high
propensity to save. Often, adversity only made them stronger and more
determined. Little by little, they separated their cultural identity from
their political identity in each country where they lived. In many
countries, ethnic Chinese took part in politics with some eventually
becoming national leaders.
Separating our cultural identity from our political identity remains as
important in the 21st century as it was in the second half of the 20th
century. Mixing or confusing the two can create unnecessary problems and
cause non-Chinese to become suspicious of ethnic Chinese in their midst. In
all countries, ethnic divisions are often a source of social conflict and
we must always be mindful of them. Separating the two identities enable us
to connect ideologically divided Chinese communities. Although relations
between Mainland China and Taiwan have gone through many ups and downs over
the past 60 years, Taiwanese businessmen have successfully taken advantage
of their common cultural heritage with the Mainland to become one of the
top investors in China today.
I always remember the story of the Parsees when they left Iran a long time
ago because of religious persecution. Arriving in India, the local ruler
made it clear that there was no room for them to settle by filling a glass
of milk to the brim. In reply, the Parsee leader picked up some sugar in
his hand and dissolved it in the milk, sweetening the milk without causing
it to overflow. Wherever they settled, the Parsees sweetened the milk which
is their host. Ethnic Chinese outside China should always endeavour to
sweeten the milk wherever we live. In the Philippines, ethnic Chinese
businessmen like Lucio Tan, Henry Sy Sr and Go Kong Wei, starting from
humble beginnings, have contributed to Filipino society not only in the
economic field but also through their philanthropic work in education,
healthcare and poverty alleviation. In this way, our Chinese identity can
be celebrated not only by ourselves but by everyone. It was a joyous day
when President Megawati announced in 2002 that Chinese New Year would be
made a national holiday in Indonesia, to be celebrated by everybody.
The WCEC has grown from strength to strength because it helps ethnic
Chinese entrepreneurs learn from one another's experiences, discover new
opportunities, work together and expand networks. In the earlier years,
there was great interest in China because of its rapid growth. In more
recent years, this interest has expanded worldwide as Mainland Chinese
companies themselves move outwards to trade and invest in all four corners
of the world. To facilitate the growing work of the WCEC, it might be
opportune now to establish a permanent platform for the gathering, exchange
and dissemination of information. Such a platform can be in multiple
locations linked by the Internet. The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce
& Industry (SCCCI) is prepared to provide one of the nodes. In 1995, the
Chamber established the World Chinese Business Network website to
complement the work of the WCEC.
While we celebrate the achievements of ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs, we
must also remember our social responsibilities and do good work wherever we
can. Different ethnic communities respond at different speeds and in
different ways to the challenge of globalisation and the knowledge economy.
It is natural that some ethnic groups will do better than others as a
result of market competition. This however can create tensions within
countries and between countries. For there to be social harmony,
development must be balanced and those progressing faster have a duty to
help those having trouble keeping up.
It is good that China has been expanding its foreign aid year by year. I
remember former Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing telling me about three
years ago that China had treated 100 million patients in Africa. This is
but one of many programmes undertaken by the Chinese Government to help
other developing countries. Taiwanese Buddhist groups like the Tzu Chi
Buddhist Foundation and Fo Kuang Shan Monastery are also doing remarkable
work in many countries. However, precisely because many ethnic Chinese do
well in the new global economy, we must do even more. This is in our own
enlightened self-interest whether in this world or in the next.
I therefore hope that future WCECs will include social issues and helping
others on the agenda. We should also learn from other ethnic communities
like the Parsees and the Jews, especially in philanthropic work. Our
objective is not only to help ethnic Chinese, but also to make a positive
contribution to the greater good in all countries. Thank you very much.
George Yeo
Video Link:
http://www.viddler.com/explore/mfasingapore/videos/17/
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