[Preview] Singapore Platform for East-West Dialogue with Bilahari Kausikan

28 October 2017

On 11 October, Bilahari Kausikan, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spoke at our monthly Singapore Platform for East-West Dialogue. He focused on why a small country should not behave like a small country.

The following is a selection of tweets highlighting the main points he made.

The reality of Singapore’s standing on the world stage

BK: If you’re a small city state, you have to understand that you’re intrinsically irrelevant on the world stage. #SGEastWest #Politics
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

BK: SG doesn’t need to be sovereign or independent to perform functions she’s known for— a trading and financial hub. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

BK: Therefore, we can’t take what we have for granted. To be relevant, we need to be successful. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

BK: And by successful, we need to be extraordinarily successful in order to be taken seriously. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

An exceptional quality of Singapore

BK: One element of our exceptionalism is our organisational logic—equality amongst the races and cultures. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

BK: SG doesn’t need to be sovereign or independent to perform functions she’s known for— a trading and financial hub. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

Singapore’s relationship with China

BK: Another unique feature of SG is that we’re a Chinese maj. ctry in our region. That puts us in an interesting r/s with China #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

BK: China is a Leninist and a civilisational state. The latter is clear in President Xi’s speech several years ago. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

BK: Accepting China’s preeminence as a geopolitical fact is vastly diff. from accepting Chinese dominance as a political norm. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

BK: China has constantly tested our leaders to see their resolve in standing their ground for Singapore’s interest. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

BK: With SG being only 52 years old, are you confident that the identity of being a Singapore-Chinese is strong? #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

On the nature of friendship between countries

BK: Friendship on an international stage merely means a convergence of interests. #SGEastWest #Diplomacy
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

On the South China Sea issue

Bilahari Kausikan: I agree with Prof. Wang Gungwu that the South China Sea issue is about sovereignty for China. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

Bilahari Kausikan: In fact, I’ll go further and say that it’s also about the legitimacy of the CCP. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

Bilahari Kausikan: Some measure of competition between great powers isn’t too bad for us, as we have manoeuvre room. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

When asked about ASEAN’s general reticence on the Rohingya issue

BK: ASEAN is meant to manage relations among c’tries. But that means we keep out of each other’s domestic affairs. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

Bilahari Kausikan: It’s pointless to criticise a cow for being an imperfect horse. ASEAN is a cow, not a horse. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

Final Thought

Bilahari Kausikan: You should not let ur size limit ambitions. You can’t be smth other than you are, we can be of high quality. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) October 11, 2017

[Preview] Singapore Platform for East-West Dialogue with Wang Gungwu

27 October 2017

On 19 September, Professor Wang Gungwu spoke at our monthly Singapore Platform for East-West Dialogue. He focused on the different conception of law by the East versus the West.

The following is a selection of tweets highlighting the main points he made.

The East and West have interacted for a long time

Prof. Wang: The East and West has always been in dialogue one way or another. The first one started with trade. #SGEastWest #NTUParaLimes
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: Why do we still need dialogue? There’re fundamental differences on both sides despite the world getting smaller. #SGEastWrst
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Implications of “Rule of Law”

Prof. Wang: Rule of law then is about political power. The ruler use their power to determine the law to stay in power. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: What we are talking about when we talk about “rule of law” really came out of the West. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

The relationship between the ruler and the ruled in China

Prof. Wang: That’s because law is always about the relationship between the ruler and the ruled.
#SGEastWest — NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: Ancient Chinese idea of law is related to harsh punishment. In a way, that’s how it began in the West too. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Legal history of China: How Confucianism came to hold sway

Prof. Wang: Qin Shi Huang found out that each state had its own set of law. He set out to collect them and standardise them. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: But it was too harsh that people rebelled and the Han Dynasty toppled the Qin Dynasty. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: The Han emperors sought to soften the laws of the legalists. Eventually, Han Wu Di brought in the Confucians.#SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: Mencius to Han Wudi, Heaven’s Will is expressed through the people. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Confucian conception of the law

Prof. Wang: The Confucians believe that the r/s within the family unit’s the most natural one. There’s a mix of love& authority. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: The law is the last resort. Sort it out among yourselves within the family unit. This has been the idea for 2000 yrs #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

The main nub of the legal disagreement between East and West

Prof. Wang: The main conflict between East and West, is that the West insisted on the Chinese abiding by their law. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: The main conflict between the Chinese & Brits is the extraterritoriality clauses in the Nanjing Treaty. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: The Chinese never had a tradition of the law beyond the ruler. Hence, “Rule of Law” is puzzling to them. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: The main sticking point for the West is that how the Chinese law can be left unchecked by the people. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

China’s puzzlement over the implementation of international law

Prof. Wang: On the int’l stage, the Chinese don’t agree to the Western idea of how the law controls the ruler. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: The Chinese argues that how can laws control several rulers, whose lands have vastly different laws? #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: After all, these international laws were developed by the European powers and applied to them for a long time. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: International laws were only applied to everyone else after the colonies became independent. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: As such this is new to China. To them these things are imposed after WWII. They don’t have long tradition. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

China’s suspicions of Western motives

Prof. Wang: The West is using international law to make China change to be like them. The Chinese resents that. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: The Chinese sees this as remnants of the Cold War dynamic; Capitalism trying to defeat Communism #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: The Americans are using the same tactics they used to control the economy of the USSR on China. But it doesn’t work #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: So the Americans start characterising China as a rogue nation, not following the Rule of Law. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang answering a question about the balance of power

Prof. Wang: If Japan & India can grow can become more confident & not beholden to USA, China is happy with a multi-polar world #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

An interesting fact

Prof. Wang: China has not gone against int’l law. In fact, the USA throws her weight around more often in the UN #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: But what China is against is a law that favours one nation more than the others. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

East versus West on individualism

Prof. Wang: Given that China is so large and with layers upon layers of hierarchical r/s, individualism smacks of selfishness. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: But individualism to the West is about every individual having some rights. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

The South China Sea issue

Prof. Wang: The issue with the South China Sea is more about freedom of navigation, than law. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: America believes they can park their aircraft carrier 12 miles off the coast, but China sees it as a hostile act. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: The real issue with the South China Sea is a political one. The US wants to easily protect Taiwan. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

China’s priorities

Prof. Wang: Deng Xiaoping is different from Mao Zedong as the former puts the economy 1st. That saved China while USSR failed #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: China is obssessed about unification because every time they were disunited and weak, they were invaded. #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017

Prof. Wang: Hence most of their inter-country r/s are economic ones. There’s no evidence of China imposing communism on others #SGEastWest
— NTU Para Limes (@NTUParaLimes) September 19, 2017