Speech by Mr George Yeo, Minister for Foreign Affairs
at the French Chamber of Commerce Gala Dinner “A Night In Versailles” at Shangri-La Island Ballroom on Friday, 21 May 2010 at 8:00PM
Your Excellencies
President of the French Chamber of Commerce, Mr Pierre Verdiere
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
1 I am delighted to join all of you this evening for “A night in Versailles”. It is a celebration of French culture in Singapore.
2 Singapore and France enjoy excellent economic ties. Singapore is France’s largest export market in Southeast Asia, and the third-largest in Asia, after China and Japan. We are a regional platform for French companies, especially in the areas of electronics, finance and chemistry. There are over 450 French companies in Singapore and 25 of these companies are among the 1,000 leading companies in Singapore. ST Micro-Electronics is Singapore’s biggest private employer.
3 Our political relations are deep. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has visited France twice, in 2005 and 2008. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and former French President Jacques Chirac enjoy a personal friendship. In January last year, I signed an Agreement on Cultural Cooperation with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.
4 The first project realised under this Cultural Agreement is the “Christian Lacroix the Costumier” exhibition which was held at our National Museum from March to June 2009. For the first time in Asia, close to 80 costumes and 60 sketches from the collection of the National Stage Costume Centre and from Lacroix’s personal collection were on display. We are currently in the midst of organising a “Singapore Showcase” in France from October 2010 to February 2011. One of the highlights of this showcase will be an exhibition of the Peranakan culture at the Musee du Quai Branly in Paris which will be manifested in sight, sound and taste.
5 In the coming years, Asia is bound to become more important to France. We hope the French presence in Singapore will grow in all dimensions. France is a major civilizational force in the world. In the Chinese series ‘The Rise of Great Nations’ produced a few years ago, the episode on France characterised it as a country ‘teeming with passion and ideals’ which ‘presents a constantly unique view in the ceaseless flux of history’. It talked about how philosophers, writers, artists and scientists are honoured. When the French Parliament debated whether Alexandre Dumas should be interred in the Pantheon, President Chirac said it was ‘a matter of national significance’. No other country reveres ideas in the same way. It will be to our profound benefit in Singapore if we become increasingly an extension of France in Asia. The French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore can help catalyse this evolution.
6 Thank you.
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