Speech by Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, at the People's Liberation Army National Defense University

The Asian Century

Political Commissar PLA NDU GEN Liu Yazhou,

Opening remarks
First let me thank GEN Liu and President PLA NDU GEN Song for inviting me to speak to this very distinguished audience. I am not as bilingual as GEN Liu, who can do his own translation but because I am at NDU and although my Chinese is not very fluent, let me say a few words in 普通话.

各位军方领导人和在籍学生,大家早上好，今天非常荣幸能受宋校长和刘政委之邀到国防大学致辞。这是我第二次到访国防大学。我在2012年访华时，也曾参访国防大学。在此我也要感谢中国政府以及中国人民解放军给予我和我的团队的热情款待。这也充分地体现了我们两军之间的友好关系和友谊。

[English Translation: Good morning, senior commanders of the PLA and students of the PLA NDU. I would like to thank the NDU President LG Song Puxuan and NDU Political Commissar GEN Liu Yazhou for inviting me to address this important group of leaders and future leaders of the PLA. This is my second time in NDU, since my previous visit in 2012. Let me also thank the PRC Ministry of National Defense (MND) for your warm hospitality during my visit to China, which speaks of the warm ties and good friendship that our militaries share.]

明年将迎来新中两国建交25周年。自中国最高领导人邓小平和我国前总理李光耀会晤以来，新中两国建立了坚固的双边关系，而且在各领域也达成了丰硕的成果。即便两国在土地面积、政治体制与地缘政治上有很大的区别，当时两国领袖还是意识到了两国合作所能带来的互利。两国之间联合项目所取得的成果，包括政府间合作项目如苏州工业园区、天津生态城，和私营项目如广州知识城、吉林食品区、新川创新科技园，也验证了两国领袖当时的智慧和远见。新中两国确实能通过双边合作取得互利。两国每一代领导人所开创的新合作方案也反映了两国坚固及互利的双边关系。

[English Translation: Next year, China and Singapore will commemorate 25 years of diplomatic relations. During this period, our two countries have built a strong relationship with many key tangible achievements. This relationship got off to a promising start after the top Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and then-PM Mr Lee Kuan Yew met and recognised the mutual benefits each could bring to the other. This was despite the differences in size, political systems and geography. The success of joint projects, including Government-to-Government (G-to-G) projects like the Suzhou Industrial Park and the Tianjin Eco-City, as well as private sector-led projects like the Guangzhou Knowledge City, Jilin Food Zone and the Singapore-Sichuan Hi-tech Innovation Park, attests to the wisdom and foresight of these two leaders. China and Singapore can indeed benefit one another through our cooperation. Our Governments are now evaluating a third G-to-G project for the Western region of China. The continuation of joint projects and the fact that each new generation of leaders in China and Singapore has started new initiatives indicates the strength and mutual benefits of our bilateral relationship.]

同样的，我希望两军之间的关系也能随着两国关系持续发展。为加强两军之间的关系，我将与常部长讨论如何通过定期的高层互访加强对话和双方的理解。新方也建议进行更多定期与更大规模的双边演习，以便加强互信。

[English Translation: Similarly, I hope that the defence relationship between our two countries would grow in tandem. To achieve stronger military to military ties, GEN Chang and I will discuss new initiatives to enhance dialogue and mutual understanding through regular high-level exchanges. Singapore would also like to propose more regular and larger joint training exercises to promote confidence building and mutual trust between the PLA and SAF.]

Let me continue my speech in English. My apologies, as my Mandarin is not fluent enough.

Why is it that despite being quite different, China and Singapore find mutual benefits from cooperating and collaborating? China is the most populous nation and the second largest economy in the World. In fact, it is the largest economy this year in purchasing power parity.. China has abundant resources, especially manpower and very intelligent minds. In Singapore, I receive programs that are produced in China. I especially like watching this programme called The Brain (最强大脑). The minds on this show are amazing. There was one particular episode: this person was shown 40 QR codes, the black and white pixel codes. Each QR code was matched with the phone number randomly picked from the audience. The contestant was given a few minutes to memorise the code as well as the 40 phone numbers. You can give me a whole day to memorise 40 phone numbers, I won't be able to do it. Then when he's done, they just show him a QR code. He had to press the phone number, as the number was not shown to him. He got it right twice. So China has very powerful minds. Singapore, on the other hand, is only a city with a size of about 700 sq km - about the area within your 5th Ring Road in Beijing. We have about 5 million people. Many countries, Singapore included, can benefit from China. But what can China, with all its abilities and plentiful resources, learn from Singapore? I will not be surprised when one day there is nothing to learn from Singapore.

And yet, each year, we have many Mayors and other leaders from China who attend courses at the Nanyang Technological University's Mayors' Class and Executive Training Courses. The PLA also sends scholars to study at RSIS and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy each year. We are a small country and we do not seek to be a model or to instruct any other country. But we are happy to share our experiences. For China and Singapore, I believe that our differences complement our relationship, and we can learn from each other because we share perspectives from different vantage points. But most importantly, because we have each other's well-being in mind as the starting point - this is how our leaders Deng Xiaoping and Lee Kuan Yew started, and therefore the more honest and open we can be with each other, the more our countries can benefit and grow together.

Singapore fully recognises that China can only grow if it and the region remain stable. From Singapore's perspective, China's growth is important not only so that its own citizens can benefit, but also because China is now an important engine for global growth. Singapore welcomes China's desire to develop peacefully in the region, and where we can, facilitate China's aspiration through various initiatives.

Looking back to history
Many economists have described our century, the 21st century, as an "Asian century", and China's steady growth in the last two decades has been one of the critical factors in this evolution and shift of the world’s centre of gravity. The reforms started by Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s and continued by successive leaders have since lifted over 600 million people out of poverty in China. China entered into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2001. If you had asked any leader - any futurist in the 1980s - whether one day China would be fully integrated into the global economy, I’m not sure you would have many who had said they believed so. And yet just this week, we have China successfully leading the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (AELM) in Beijing. This is a dramatic transformation and progress. In parallel, economic reforms in India in the early 1990s by then-Finance Minister and later Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and the independence and growth of Southeast Asian countries, Singapore included, further generated alternate growth clusters in Asia.

Today, Asia accounts for a third of global trade - almost double that in 1980 which was 16%. Some estimate that in 2050, Asia’s share of global economic output will increase to 50 per cent.

I know that the Chinese people are avid students of history - theirs and of others. And many of you here know that in the 18th century, China also accounted for nearly 30 per cent of global economic output, but China's contributions and importance to global affairs diminished rapidly as the Qing Dynasty degenerated and ultimately collapsed. In contrast, the Scientific and Industrial Revolutions transformed Europe and America. And Europe and America ascended into the forefront to lead the world for the next two hundred years. As a result of that progress, the global commons of trade, finance, political governance and international relations were also strengthened.

The promises and perils of Asia
The ability of China, India, ASEAN and other Asian countries to grow in the last two decades was possible because of the internal dynamism of each country's indigenous population. However, just as crucial was the stability of external conditions that the global commons provided, especially respect for international law, which governed the sovereign rights of states and urged peaceful means of resolution when disputes arose.

All of us recognise that it is important for all countries that these external conditions are maintained. And as China grows in influence and power, many countries will rightly expect China to provide leadership and influence in doing so.

There are indeed great promises to reap in this Asian century. China alone expects to have nearly 200 million college and university graduates in a decade's time. By 2020, four out of every ten university graduates will come just from China and India alone. And many of these graduates will have a high level of technical skills - which will be important for the economy. ASEAN, with a combined population of more than 600 million, will also reap its demographic dividend.

But we should not be lulled into complacency by thinking that this positive trajectory is pre-ordained. We need to recognise that risks and challenges exist that need to be confronted or mitigated, failing which Asia's rise can be de-railed. Within Southeast Asia alone, fault lines continue to exist, between ethnic communities within states or between countries. Political systems in Southeast Asia are still evolving, as they are in most of Asia. Regional flashpoints could also arise in the Korean Peninsula or the ongoing disputes in the South and East China Seas. All these flashpoints could undermine regional peace and stability if incidents on the ground spiral out of control.

Indeed, over the past year, there have been several near-miss incidents between various parties. Tensions in the South China Sea have also escalated periodically with the series of actions and reactions taken by various parties from time to time. Such developments are all the more worrying as rapid economic growth in Asia has also led to a rise in defence spending and capability development.

We are thus glad that leaders of the US, China and Japan - the three largest economies in the world have met each other on the sidelines of the economic leaders' meeting this week. In particular, the meeting between President Xi and Prime Minister Abe is a reassuring, bold and necessary act. The meeting of both these leaders is an important first step to improve relations between China and Japan. All countries hope that this will lead on to further concrete measures that will provide assurance of regional stability in Northeast Asia.

China's Leadership Role
By virtue of its strategic global weight, China has a crucial role to play in maintaining peace and stability in the region, and indeed globally. It is thus heartening that China has been actively engaging regional countries in the political, economic, and defence realms, and has been a responsible and active player in the regional security architecture. China has also taken on proactive leadership by proposing new initiatives for the region, such as the "2+7 Cooperation Framework", which includes the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), to expand and strengthen China's cooperation with ASEAN.

Let me conclude - Asia's prosperity is intrinsically intertwined with China's and the rest of the world. It is my hope that China will continue to participate and contribute actively to the region, taking a leadership role to create conditions of lasting peace and stability. President Xi's "Chinese Dream" is a noble aspiration, not only for the world's most populous nation, but also for all countries that want peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefits. Thank you very much for your attention.

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