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Minister George Yeo's Statement at the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting III, 22 August 2007

Minister's Statement at the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting III, 22 August 2007

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Transcript:

1 "Thank you Mr Chairman.

2 FEALAC hasn't got a very urgent agenda; it is certainly not the most important meeting we have. The distances are long, so many of us from Asia, before we came, asked ourselves whether it was worth the effort. I remember when ASEAN Foreign Ministers were meeting in Manila, we were checking with one another, "Are you going? Are you going?" But somehow, something in our instincts told us that it was worth going to. You don't quite know what you would miss out if you don't go and for those of us who have made this long journey - for me, over 30 hours - I have no doubt it was worth the while coming here. It is not because the agenda is so dramatic or so critical to our national interest, but because at a trade fair or political fair, we talk, we network, we learn, we see opportunities and we act on them.

3 This morning, between Mercosur and ASEAN Foreign Ministers, we had a very good breakfast meeting. There was a tremendous spirit of warmth and wanting to work together. If we take a step back, today, the Asian economies have a combined GDP that is comparable to that of North America and Europe. A little less perhaps, depending on whether you take nominal numbers or PPP, but there's no doubt that in 10, 20, 30 years’ time, the Asian economy will be bigger than the North American and European economies.

4 If you look at Latin America, of all the continents, it has the best resource-to-people ratio. This great country Brazil alone has more arable land than any other country on earth. And if you add to it the vast land areas of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and the other countries, the region is so remarkably well-endowed, whereas Asia is over-populated. So there is a great complementarity and sooner or later with globalisation, that complementarity must mean abundant opportunities for countries, companies and individuals. I believe it is a sense of this that has prompted us to come here. It is also this sense that has led Chile to be a pioneer in trade agreements in Latin America.

5 I remember when I was in the armed forces in the 80s, General Pinochet despatching a naval attaché to Singapore. I asked the attache, 'What for?' He said, "Our President thinks that Asia will one day become very important to Chile." And every year, the Esmeralda, a tall mid-shipment ship would sail to Singapore. Little by little, it became clear that that assessment was a correct one. So whether it is FTAs, or APEC, or the widening of the Panama Canal or the road from Brazil to Peru, or a thousand other initiatives, the river of globalisation is slowly, but steadily, inexorably finding its way to the sea. And I think FEALAC is one channel through which it flows.

6 We have to do many things. First, we have to know one another. So we must visit each other. Every year in Singapore, we have a Latin-Asia Business Forum. It is not very big, but interesting enough for those who attend. I heard from Samuel (Vice President and Foreign Minister of Panama) that Panama is having an Asian Centre, and I think that is very useful. We need many such centres – about Latin America for Asian countries and about Asia for Latin American countries. We have a Journalists' Visit Programme to encourage journalists from Latin America to visit Singapore, and through Singapore, to visit other countries in East Asia.

7 We cannot be dependent only on European and North American news agencies for us to learn about one another. Because if we depend on them alone, we will only receive bad news, as it is only bad news which travel. We need direct contact. And with instantaneous media, that direct contact is at our disposal. So when an earthquake happens in Peru, immediately, our hearts go out to the people of Peru; when Korean hostages are treated in a contemptible way in Afghanistan, there is an immediate common sense of solidarity with the Korean people.

8 So we need people to meet, to make use of the means available at our disposal, and to seize opportunities. The game is about who react faster to seize opportunities; they will benefit the most. And I believe FEALAC will open for us, many new opportunities which we may otherwise not be aware of, and in this way, help benefit our people. Because in the end, that is what it is all about - Do we create jobs? Are we able to attract more investments?

9 It was fascinating listening to President Lula earlier, and how his mind, like a stream of consciousness flowed - first, from Latin American integration, to links with Africa, the Middle East, India and East Asia, to the G20 initiative.

10 From different vantage points, each of us, responding to the pressures of globalisation, is seeking out new patterns which will benefit us, in the process, all of us benefiting one another.

11 Thank you Mr Chairman."

George Yeo

Opening Ceremony of FEALAC

Asean Mercosur Breakfast at FEALAC

FEALAC Group Photo

Brazilia

1. Like Canberra and Islamabad, Brasilia was built from scratch as a new capital city. The architecture of the public buildings is stunning to behold. They were designed by Oscar Niemeyer, mostly of reinforced concrete, over 50 years ago, and have stood the test of time. The structures still look surprisingly modern. Niemeyer is still alive, a hundred years old, with a new wife.

2. The two chambers of the Brazilian Congress are housed in two spherical halves, one turned up, the other down. A sleek pair of towers behind them provides the backdrop. The foreign ministry building, the Itamaraty Palace, is the most beautiful I've ever seen. At night, it appears to float in a pool of water. The internal spaces are equally dramatic, often column free, with sweeping curves. The city centre, with every public building uniquely different, is an architectural wonderland.

Picture 1 - Brazilian Congress

Picture 2: Itamaraty Palace - external view

Picture 3: A stylish spiral staircase inside Itamaraty Palace

3. After the conference ended, I visited the memorial to the Brazilian President who took the bold decision to shift the capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia - Juscelino Kubitschek or JK. The tomb chamber was designed by Niemeyer himself. Our guide was JK's granddaughter who obviously inherited some of her grandparents' passion. JK was a tragic figure. When the generals took over in 1964, he was exiled abroad. Even after he was allowed back, he was prevented from residing in Brasilia. He died in a car accident.

Picture 4: Exterior of JK Memorial

Picture5: Picture of JK

Picture 6: JK granddaughter

4. Everything about Brazil is larger than life - the land and its people, their hopes and disappointments. It is always a country full of potential to be realized. But there is reason to be more optimistic now. The rise of Asia will bring new prosperity to South America which has a better resource to people ratio than any other continent on earth. Huge projects are now underway to open the continent to the Pacific Ocean - the widening of the Panama canal, new roads and railroads across the Andes. There is even talk of an ethanol pipeline across the isthmus of Panama, running parallel to the canal.

George Yeo

Minister George Yeo's speech at the opening ceremony of 41st ASEAN Standing Committee

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George Yeo

The Raffles Institution Lecture

SPEECH BY GEORGE YEO, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS,
AT THE RI LECTURE ON 16 AUG 07 AT 9.30 AM

Making A Difference

1. Life is a journey. In the first part of the journey, you have parents and teachers helping you along. Later, you will be on your own. One day, it will be for you to help others. Along the way, you will discover yourselves, especially your strengths and weaknesses.

2. The journey is also a test of your character. At various points, you will be challenged, and how you respond to these challenges is often a moral choice between right and wrong. Confronted with a difficult situation, our response can either be 'fight or flight'. Fighting means standing up for what is right, and being on the bright side. Flight means running away or giving in, compromising principles, what in Star Wars is described as drifting to the 'dark side'.

3. All of you have grown older with Harry Potter. With each episode, as Harry grows up, the story becomes darker. The emotions become more complicated. There is a certain sadness. Once passed seventeen, Harry will lose the protection of his parents and will be on his own. He must then make very hard choices. Of course, he will have friends and relatives to help him. Not all will help him. Some may even betray him, those who have given in to temptation and moved to the dark side.

4. As a teenager, there are times when you can't wait to grow up. But there are other times when you rather stay a kid forever, what some people call the 'Peter Pan complex. An important difference between being a kid and being an adult is in the amplitude - the height and depth - of our emotional cycles. Kids can cry one moment and laugh the next. Adults carry their emotions much longer, sometimes for life. So, while it is true that the later episodes of Harry Potter are darker and sadder, they are also brighter and happier. Understanding your own emotional up's and down's is part of growing up.

5. The key point is making moral choices. Whether we are talking about Harry Potter or Darth Vader or Rama in the Ramayana or Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey or the Tang Dynasty monk in the Journey to the West, the hero is the one who, at the most critical moments, makes the right moral choice. Choosing the bright side. Doing good.

6. Most of us will become neither heroes nor villains. But, on a smaller scale, we can either be good or bad. Everyday, at home, in school and elsewhere, among families and friends, even with strangers, we can either make the world around us a little better or a little worse. Are we helpful or are we a pain to others? Do we cheer up those around us or do we depress them? These are the daily choices we make, and the accumulation of these choices define us. They make us what we are. If, in little things, we do what is right, it is more likely that we will also do what is right when we confront big things.

7. Few people relish big challenges. Most people avoid high-risk situations if they can, which is rational. But sometimes we have no choice. Harry did not wish for Voldemort. When times are easy, there are no heroes. It is only when times are out of joint, during wars and revolutions, when natural disasters strike, that heroes emerge. We do not know what life holds for us in our journey to the future. But, sooner or later, we will have to face challenges we rather not. Then we have no alternative but to respond. There may not be enough time then to weigh the pro's and con's carefully. It may have to be my instinct that we decide on what to do. During your teenage years, you will gradually understand your own nature. That nature is partly in the genes you inherited from your parents. But it is also in your free will which you exercise every day. Darth Vader was born a jedi but one who fell from grace although he did come around at the end to save his son.

8 As Rafflesians, you are like jedis, but please don't let this get into your head. Because you have certain gifts, you are being specially nurtured so that one day you can do good for your people. You are not to live your life only for yourself. When confronted with tough choices in the future, we hope you will choose the bright side and help make the world a better place, not a worse place. Prepare yourselves for that future. Listen to your teachers, learn from them, not out of blind obedience but in a spirit of humility and inquiry. Everyday, do a little good. It can be a simple smile, a helping hand, a small gesture. Let this become a part of your own DNA. Wherever you are, make a difference and make your school motto, auspicium melioris aevi, a beacon lighting up the path ahead. From those to whom much is given, much is expected.

9. In kindergarten and primary school, the fairy tales end with the main characters living 'happily ever after'. In real life, there is no such thing. For as long as we live, life is series of challenges and responses. It is the journey itself which is the drama for each and every one. May you live your lives well and may the Force be with you.

George Yeo

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A simple Idea

1. I had an interesting converation with Mohammad Yunus yesterday at
MFA. Mohammad Yunus won the Nobel Prize for his work in providing micro-credit. Grameen Bank which lends to millions of households in Bangladesh has become world-famous. Micro-credit is predominantly extended to women. When women borrow, it is always for the family. They take care to save and repay so that they will have continued access to credit.
Trust at this level is part of the nature of human beings. Without it, families cannot be established and society is not possible. By building on this simple idea, micro-credit reaches a layer of society which modern financial systems cannot penetrate.

2. I was first acquainted with micro-credit through Jacques Attali, a
brilliant French socialist who once the advisor to President Mitterand.
I've known him for many years. He started Planet Finance to popularize micro-credit in the world. Some years ago, I agreed to be on his board of international advisors and became familiar with the work of Grameen Bank.
When Yunus was awarded the Nobel Prize, I wrote to congratulate Attali. I knew they were good friends.

3. Prof Tommy Koh is working with Yunus to introduce micro-credit to
Singapore. I hear MENDAKI is interested in participating. Many Malay women can contribute to the economy if they have access to small credit facilities. Because of their commitment to family, some of them stay at home even though there are hours in the day when they are able to work and make extra income.

4. By doing something simple with passion and conviction, Mohammad Yunus
has done good for millions of people. I find him a great inspiration.

George Yeo

George Yeo at MFA National Day Observance Ceremony

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Speech by George Yeo at the International Conference on Bioengineering and Nanotechnology

SPEECH BY GEORGE YEO, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS,
AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE 3RD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BIOENGINEERING AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
(ICBN 2007) ON 13 AUGUST 2007 AT 9:30 AM AT THE BIOPOLIS

1. In case you are wondering why the Foreign Minister is addressing you this morning, please allow me to explain. When the Singapore Government gave a decisive push to the biomedical sector in the year 2000, I was then the Minister responsible. The Agency for Science, Technology and Research, or A*STAR, is a statutory body under the Ministry of Trade and Industry. It was during my watch when Jackie Ying was appointed by Philip Yeo as the Director of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology. So, when Jackie invited me to officiate at this opening, it was hard for me to say 'no' diplomatically.

2. But I am delighted to be here this morning. It is good to have the 3rd International Conference on Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (ICBN) back in Singapore. ICBN is the first international conference devoted to exciting new possibilities at the interface of bioengineering and nanotechnology. By integrating nanoscopic and macroscopic engineering, scientists can create novel biomaterials and medical devices which mimic biological systems and functions.

3. Since the launch of the National Nanotechnology Initiative by the US in the year 2000, at least 35 countries around the world have initiated national programmes in nanotechnology. It has been estimated that, from 1997 to 2003, government organisations worldwide have increased their R&D investments six-fold. In Singapore, we have identified it as an exciting new area for our own economic development.

4. A*STAR’s objective is to stimulate university research through specific program initiatives related to nanotechnology, such as nano-electronics, polymer and molecular devices, computational materials science, and electro-mechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS). Presently, the research institutes of A*STAR do nanotechnology research in areas like nanomagnetism, spintronics, nanoimprinting, nanophotonics, nanocomposites and applied catalysis. IBN does research at the interface of nanotechnology and bioengineering. Since its inception in 2003, IBN’s staff has grown to more than 180. Its researchers are recruited from over 19 countries, from top universities in the US, Europe and Asia. For a relatively young institute, IBN has done rather well creating novel biomaterials, medical devices and chiral pharmaceuticals, resulting in 346 publications and 380 patent applications in the past 4 years.

5. According to a Lux Research Report published in November 2005, Singapore, together with Taiwan and Israel, are three economies, which have become global niche players in nanotechnology. I remember having a long conversation with President Shimon Peres in Israel a few years ago on the importance of nanotechnology. In case you did not know, he has become an absolute convert, even a missionary!

6. For Singapore, a city-state which lacks space and has no natural resources, the biomedical sector suits us well. We are small but we are relatively well-run. Having a cosmopolitan outlook, Singaporeans welcome foreigners into our midst. Our culture enables people of diverse backgrounds to come and work together on the basis of equality, using English as the common language. Since our Free Trade Agreement with the US was signed a few years ago, our protection of intellectual property has become the best in Asia. In six years, the value of the biomedical sector more than tripled from S$6 billion in 2000 to S$23 billion last year. The future of the sector looks promising. For R&D, the activities are concentrated here at the Biopolis. We were flattered when SCIENCE journal described the Biopolis as a 'scientific Emerald City'.

7. Chandrababu Naidu, the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, a state of India - an able man with a far-sighted view of the importance of IT - once described Singapore to me as a city built on nanotechnology. He meant it figuratively of course. He was explaining to me why a big country like India should be interested in the intricate workings of a city-state. Singapore adds value, not by scale or volume, but in the selection of good ideas and the development of new ideas. Ideas are like seeds. They occupy little space but they are the most important. A good seed will produce a valuable crop. A good fry makes fish farming worthwhile. The right DNA is decisive. Singapore thrives only to the extent that it is a crucible for interesting ideas. We cannot create such a mix by ourselves. We have to be like an Italian renaissance city-state welcoming talented individuals from near and far, and facilitating their creative development. On this basis, Singapore has plenty of space which was the point Naidu was making to me.

8. As I leafed through the resumes of the scientists making presentations at ICBN 2007, I must confess to being in awe of your knowledge and accomplishments. You are a remarkable collection of brilliant minds and we are so fortunate to have all of you here in Singapore.

9. I wish you a productive conference. Thank you.

George Yeo

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High Speed Challenge

Singapore is going through an exciting period. It has globalised faster than most other places, and has suddenly morphed into the flavour of the month worldwide “to our great surprise”, Foreign Minister George Yeo told a group of professional women at a talk in July. While noting that the Republic’s success has created its own problems, he painted an exciting vision of the country as probably becoming the only city in Asia to have a truly international character in the years to come.

Speaking on “Foreign Policy and Bilateral Relations in a Globalised World – Our Goals and Approach Towards External Relations”, Mr Yeo recounted that at a dinner in Libya recently, the son of the Libyan leader had said that his father, Colonel Gaddafi, had been quoting Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

“It’s quite interesting, the way that Singapore has intruded into global awareness. That’s part of the reason why in the last year or so, the markets (including property) have been moving very rapidly. “We’re no longer seen as just a regional city. We’re being seen as a global city, and there’s been a spate of uncharacteristically favourable articles about Singapore in the international media,” he said at the dialogue organised by the PAP Women’s Wing.

However, Singapore’s success at globalisation has brought its own problems both internally and externally. Internally, in the form of a growing income divide as some people become very wealthy from the property and stock markets, while others find their wages being depressed by competition from places like China and India. Singapore needs to be vigilant to prevent the growing income divide from engendering resentment and jealousy.

“Then there’s the external challenge that as we move ahead, we get featured more and more in news magazines and scientific journals and so on, that our neighbours don’t think we disdain them.”

In response to a question on whether countries in Asia could form an alliance to compete with the rest of the world, the minister said that Asia’s sheer size makes it unlikely that there will ever be one Asian community. Instead, countries are seeking options for themselves and joining as many “clubs” as possible.

“There’s now an alphabet soup of associations that have cropped up in the last few years. They’re all growing, all seeking new members, because it’s not quite clear what the world will be like 20, 30 years from now.”

New centres of power have emerged, namely China, India, South-east Asia and Vietnam, and the long period of peace in the region since the end of the Vietnam War cannot be taken for granted.

“Historically, every time new powers emerge, you had war and revolution…the greatest danger in the coming years is whether we’ll continue to have peace.” The most important relationship today
is that between US and China, and “if that goes awry, then all bets are off ”.

Mr Yeo said South-east Asian nations realise that unless they are more integrated, they would be too small to have any effective negotiating position vis-à-vis the larger players. Progress is being made in Asean integration even though this is not occurring in a straight line.

“If we succeed, if the trends are favourable, and if we have peace for another generation, Asia will be transformed and the centre of gravity of the world economy will shift to Asia. It’d be a different century and there’s a fair chance of that happening,” he said.

But integration within Asean would be very difficult unless the present gap between the most advanced and the least advanced countries in the grouping are bridged. Hence, Singapore has an active programme to help Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. It has training centres in the four countries, with other countries also helping.

Among the four, Vietnam is faring very well, Mr Yeo said. “In 30, 40 years time, it may well be the strongest country in South-east Asia because the people are hardworking, smart; they’re very determined.” He also assessed that in the coming years, the centres of growth in the world would be East Asia, South Asia and the Middle East.

“If we have good links to all three, and all three have their networks which overlap in Singapore, we’ll have opportunities for arbitrage. We will bridge cultures.

“We will probably be the only city in Asia which will truly have an international character because we’re the most Westernised and we have links to all these three major regions,” he noted at the dialogue held at the Pyramid Club at Goodwood Hill.

He welcomed a suggestion by one participant that individual Singaporeans be roped in as intermediaries in bringing foreign talent to fill jobs. He said: “The government can only be a gardener. Others must plant the seeds and make these plants grow and flower and fruit. How the garden grows – it’s got a logic of its own and people like you will have to plant the seeds and make it happen.”

The greatest worry for the government is that some baby boomers are facing difficulties now and may feel they are second-class citizens. “If we’re not careful, politically, this group can hold us back. So many of our policies, in fact the entire package announced in Parliament recently, is all to help this particular group.

“Right now, we’re moving nicely, but we can only continue moving at high speed if we can hold our people together. That’s the single greatest challenge before us today.” But there is a limit to what the government can do. More philanthropy is needed and Singapore must think of a way to encourage this, Mr Yeo said.
“We need people like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett,” he said. Mr Gates, chairman of US computer giant Microsoft, and investment guru Mr Buffett are among the world’s richest people and they have given or pledged billions of dollars to charity.

“If throughout Singapore, we can have people with such big hearts doing good things, I think it’d pull us together. The solution is not necessarily for the government to do more, but for the government to facilitate citizens to do more.”

Article by Suki Lor, PETIR

Happy Birthday Singapore

Beyond SG would like to wish all Singaporeans and friends a Happy National Day!

Harold Fock

Youtube - Minister George Yeo speech at the ASEAN Standing Committee handover ceremony

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George Yeo