Focus on S.E. Asia, Goh tells India

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE, JULY 10. Singapore is keen that India should, in consonance with its importance in regional and global affairs, evince a greater interest in interacting with South-East Asia. In a wide- ranging interview with The Hindu late last week, the Singapore Prime Minister, Mr. Goh Chok Tong, outlined new possibilities in the city-state's ties with India as also China and spoke on the current state of several regional institutions. Here are excerpts:

P. S. Suryanarayana: Can Singapore play a role to bring India and China together? You have a Chinese majority and an ethnic Indian population here and I suppose Singapore has the best means of reading the minds of these two countries.

Mr. Goh Chok Tong: No. I think these are two big countries. They should have direct contact and they should forge relations between themselves. We would have no role in this.

Well, what Singapore wants to do is to get India to focus more attention on South-East Asia. I believe that India has a role to play in the region, economically, politically and of course security-wise, given the importance of India. I had always thought that India was not paying sufficient attention to South- East Asia. It could benefit by having closer relations with South-East Asia.

Likewise, China is important to South-East Asia. So, if both see the value of South-East Asia, I think both will also find a way to cooperate and play the role here. Basically, on bilateral relations, it's a matter for both sides to deal with. We're not seeking any role here.

You're not seeking a role. But you're in an ideal position...

Yes. I think the role we can play then will be if India wants a reading on what's happening in China, we can become interlocutor, an interpreter of events in that sense. And, of course, if China is keen on India, we too can assess how we see things in India. As an interlocutor not between both parties, but adding value to each party's reading of its own. I will call them an exchange of views. That role we can play, if we have a chance to meet (your) leaders, if they want to get our reading of the events in China, economic, political and so on.

Will you give an update on Singapore's ties with India and China in the light of your recent tours of these two countries?

Singapore and India have close ties. We enjoy a strong multi- dimensional relationship with India. I have visited India three times since 1994. Many Indian leaders have also visited Singapore. Following my most recent visit, Mr. Jaswant Singh and the Chief Minister of Karnataka have visited Singapore. I am happy the momentum in our relations has been sustained.

Several economic initiatives are under way. The National Science and Technology Board is working with Jurong Town Corporation to explore the possibility of setting up Incubator Centres for start-up firms in India.

We will be setting up a Contact Singapore Centre in Chennai by the end of this year. The role of the Centre will be to adopt a targeted approach of developing strong relationships between top educational and research institutions in India and Singapore companies to build an open pipeline of good quality talent to Singapore. Through such programmes, (Singapore's) Ministry of Manpower hopes to generate a more competitive market in Singapore for good international talent, of which Indian talent would be one significant component, vis-a-vis markets like the U.S. where companies are already innovative and generous in their recruitment terms and strategies. A Singapore-India Task Force comprising officials from key agencies will also be established to concretise economic cooperation as well as to study how Singapore can be a catalyst for India's economic reforms.

The year 2000 marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Singapore and China. Relations are warm and substantial and the scope of cooperation has grown rapidly to include areas like health, labour, education, law, public security, culture, trade and communications. After my visit to China in April this year, several economic initiatives have been initiated.

Singapore enjoys excellent relations with both India and China. We could explore how the three countries could nurture and retain our talent in Asia to face up to the challenges posed by the New Economy.

President Narayanan (of India) had just made a successful visit to China. It is in the interest of the entire region that the overall atmospherics of Sino-Indian relations, the two biggest Asian countries, are warm and cordial.

What are the prospects of India intensifying its relationship with ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations) by probably sitting at the table of ASEAN Plus Three (Japan, China and South Korea)? Or, when can India hope to join APEC (Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation forum) or ASEM (Asia- Europe Meeting) which is your brainchild?

On ASEAN plus Three forum, I think it is possible but I have to sound out the ASEAN members first. It depends on the interests of the other countries too.

On APEC, that's a forum for East Asian economies. India is not part of East Asia. So, (the) members, I think, would not consider India as a member of the APEC. At any rate, there is a moratorium on new members.

On the ASEM, it's a little big already, 25 members. So, the thought of a new member joining ASEM has not featured at all. But, certainly, if India is interested, I will bear in mind India's interest.

India now has a separate summit with the EU (European Union). India is also interested in a separate summit with ASEAN ...

I think, with ASEAN it'll be of more interest, both to ASEAN and India, because if India has a separate summit with EU already, ASEM is of lesser priority to India, I believe. A lot depends on India; if India shows a lot of interest over here, (if) India has investments in this part of the world, a lot of trade, then certainly the countries here will welcome India.

Will you comment on the move by the Indonesian President, Mr. Abdurrahman Wahid, for closer economic ties among his country, Singapore, Japan, India and China within the framework of a five- power `entity?'

I do not think that President Abdurrahman was talking about an alliance or an economic bloc. It is not meant to replace existing links with other countries. President Abdurrahman has visited the U.S. and Europe since taking office. This signals the importance he places on relations with other key countries besides India, China and Japan. Singapore will support any initiative that promotes closer cooperation. This should not, however, be at the expense of ties that we have developed with other countries and our involvement in other regional and international groupings.

Do you foresee any new security architecture in East Asia in particular and Asia-Pacific in general? What kind of role will the United States play in the future?

I don't see (the emergence of a new security architecture). There are institutions already. What I see as a possibility will be the development of security communities. The Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) is a form of security community. There are also bilateral exercises and relations on the military side. In regard to Japan, South Korea, the U.S., it is also a form of security community. It's possible that over time, there may be informal ways of linking up the various security communities which will then contribute to a new form of architecture on the security side for Asia. But it's more of an evolution. At the moment, there is no, as far as I know, thinking on constructing a new (security) architecture for East Asia.

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