The thesis research focuses on analyzing the development of the 20-year Singapore - China relations (1990 - 2010) in the fields of politics - diplomacy, security - defense, commerce, investment, and several others in order to assess its nature as well as characteristics and influences.
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION& TRAINNING VINH UNIVERSITY TON NU HAI YEN SINGAPORE CHINA RELATIONS FROM 1990 TO 2010 Major: World history Code: 62.22.03.11 BRIEF OF THE HISTORY THESIS NGHE AN 2016 INTRODUCTION 1. The reasons for choosing topic 1.1. Nowadays, in the age of globalization, cooperation among sovereign states has become one of multiple trends in developing international relations. In that sense, every country in the world is open to the idea of multilateralization and diversification for the purpose of utilizing foreign resources in civil development. Thus, history of relations among different countries is an enticing topic, attracting many local and international researchers, of which the relations between the Republic of Singapore and the People’s Republic of China are of special interest 1.2 Singapore is a small island citystate with limited land area, natural resources, and work force However, the country occupies a strategic geographic location regarding national security and international trade. Singapore, known as one of four “Asian Tigers”, is among the leading developed nations with advanced technologies, a flourishing economy, and experience in economic development. Because of its various characteristics, Singapore’s development depends greatly on external factors, with foreign relations being one of the most important aspects affecting its survival in the international market. In fact, Singapore has thoroughly followed its policies regarding open market, global integration while being practical under every circumstance China, on another hand, is a country with a large mass of land, plentiful natural resources, and cheap work force. It is also a constantly rising nation, the world’s leading manufacturer, and a massive financial market that attract investments from many countries, including Singapore As China’s economy continue to grow, its political and economic influence on foreign states is also expanding, especially in Southeast Asia Singapore and China have multiple similarities regarding race, language, and culture, with the population of immigrant Chinese living in Singapore making up for ¾ of its total population [24;p.26] History shows that the two nations’ current relationsare rather unique. Because of the sizable Chinese comminuty in Singapore, the citystate has been suspected by its neighboring countries to be Beijing’s “Trojan horse” in Southeast Asia. On 3/10/1990, Singapore became the last state in the area to establish foreign relations with China. The similarities and differences between the two countries raisedmany questions: What do they aspire to accomplish in their relations? How can a small country such as Singapore can both protect its sovereignty and utilize the advantages provided by a big nation with a constantly growing economy such as China? What would China gain by establishing relations with Singapore? What is the nature of their 20year relations? What is the characteristics of this relations? How can immigrant Chinese in Singapore play a part in improving relationship between the two nations? How can Vietnamemes influenced by it? Researching Singapore China relations from 1990 to 2010 by answering those questions would not only reveal the reasons for changes in the countries’ foreign policies after the Cold War, but also, more importantly, explain in details the nature, characteristics, and influences of relations between a small citystate and a colossal as well as ambitious nation with immense potential 1.3. Vietnam and Singapore are both members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, hence, historical, cultural, and social researches concerning each country’s foreign relations have multiple sign ificantscientific and practical benefits. In contemporary Vietnam, the number of researches about Singapore is rather limited and mostly focused on Singapore’s successes in the establishment and development of its social economy, the Vietnam Singapore relations, etc. Little to no effort was put in studying the relations between Singapore and China. At the present, Vietnam has established relations with both Singapore and China and researching the relations between those countries can yield important experience regarding foreign policies as well as help fill the void of historical knowledge of Singapore in Vietnam Based on the aforementioned scientific and practical benefits, we decided to choose the “Singapore China Relations from 1990 to 2010” topic as the subject for our history thesis 2. Research objectives The thesis research focuses on analyzing the development of the 20year Singapore China relations (1990 2010) in the fields of politics diplomacy, security defense, commerce, investment, and several others in order to assess its nature as well as characteristics and influences 3. Objects, scope, and tasks 3.1. Research subjects The process of mobilization and development of the relations between the Republic of Singapore and the People’s Republic of China from 1990 to 2010 3.2. Scope of research About the time period, the thesis research focuses on the relations between the Republic of Singapore and the People's Republic of China from 1990 to 2010. The reason we choose 1990 (i.e 10/03/1990) as the beginning year for this research because this is the year they announced the establishment of official diplomatic relations However, to get a comprehensive overview, we also addressed the Singapore China relations before 1990. The year 2010 was selected as the final milestone because it marks the 20th anniversary of the two nations’ official diplomatic relations, celebrated with the visit of Xi Jinping, Vice President and Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission to Singapore from 14 to 16/11/2010 About the thesis title: the title "Singapore China Relations from 1990 to 2010" indicates the relations between the Republic of Singapore and the People's Republic of China. The thesis research focuses on Singapore’s relations with mainland China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao) in the framework of bilateral relations. Multilateral relations are not within the scope of the study About the content: The thesis research focuses on the study of several basic issues: - Factors affecting relations between Singapore China from 1990 to 2010 - Bilateral relations between Singapore and China in the fields of politics diplomacy, security defense, commerce, investment, and several others (including culture, education, tourism, labor export, science technology). Other content is not within the scope of this research The relationship between the two countries is one with mutual interactions. However, with the desire to elucidate the characteristics of Singapore's relations with China, we devoted more resource to the subject Singapore 3.3. Tasks involved - Clarify the role, position and severity of the factors affecting the dynamics and development of the Singapore China relations from 1990 to 2010 - Clarify the development process and nature of the relations between Singapore and China from 1990 to 2010 through an indepth analysis of specific aspects of cooperation - Comments on achievements and limitations, specify the specific characteristics, and assess the impact of the Singapore China relations on several subjects 4. Resources Sources used in the thesis include: - Original documents To implement the project, we exploit multiple documents and diplomatic documents regarding the two nations’ bilateral relations, including cooperation agreements, joint statements, the press releases of mutual visits between their leaders. We also access and exploit synthesis reports, statistical and storage sources of both Singaporean and Chinese governments. These are established and reliable sources as well as precise statistics. They are the true basis for our research approach to this topic - References: In the deployment process of this thesis, we approached the monographic works of national and international scholars, with their content directly mentioning relations between Singapore and China. Besides, we also utilize a number of articles published in scientific conference proceedings, as well as specialized journals, dissertations, theses, and several local and international reputable websites with related content 5. Approach and methodology - This is a research project under the category of history of international relations, hence, a systematic structural approach allowed us to build an analytical framework Under a specific scope, we applied multiple theories regarding international relations to clarify the dynamics of the relations between Singapore and China in the period of 20 years from 1990 to 2010 - Historical and logical methods were mainly used in the research process. We also coordinated the advantages of several interdisciplinary approaches such as synthesis, statistics, analyzation, reference, and comparison to solve posed problems 6. Contributions of the thesis - The thesis presents a relatively complete research situation related to "Singapore China relations from 1990 to 2010" under respective geographical partitions - Clarification of the basic factors affecting the bilateral relations between Singapore and China - The thesis is the first project in Vietnam to systematically and thoroughly study the Singapore China relations from 1990 to 2010 in the fields of politics, diplomacy, security, military, economy, society, and culture during the first two decades after the Cold War - By studying of the state of the aforementioned bilateral relations, the thesis evaluated the achievements, characteristics and impact of this relations on several aspects - The thesis also contributes to the data and scientific argument system for the purpose of researching and teaching the history of the Singapore China relations, as well as the international relations in Eastern and South East Asia in general during the first two decades after the Cold War 7. Layout of the thesis In addition to the introduction, conclusion, and references, the contents of the thesis are presented in four chapters: Chapter 1. Overview of the research situation Chapter 2. Factors affecting the Singapore China relations from 1990 to 2010 Chapter 3. Singapore China relations in multiple fields from 1990 to 2010 Chapter 4. Comments on Singapore China relations from 1990 to 2010 Chapter 1 OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH SITUATION 1.1 Research situation in Vietnam Until recently, in Vietnam, researches about the relations between Singapore and China were limited to the following works: “Economic Relations between Singapore and China since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations (1990 2000)”by Tran Do (Journal of Southeast Asian Studies No. 5/2001); "Singapore, characteristics and solutions" by Duong Van Quang (National Political Publishing House, 2007). Outstanding results of these works indicate an experience exchange process regarding economic development and management, as well as mentioned the most critical issues in the economic relations between the two countries and their appropriate adjustments in recent years. About the time of research, these works’ scopes mostly end in 2005. Overall, the nature of those researches is proposing issues, with no systematization, analysis or intensive evaluation. Nevertheless, they provided us with a lot of valuable information for our study 1.2 Research situation abroad 1.2.1 Research situation in Singapore Studies of Singapore's foreign policy such as “Singapore's Foreign Policy: the search for regional order” (World Scientific Publishing House, 2007); “Between rising powers China, Singapore and India” by Asad Latif (Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, 2007) only mentioned the Singapore China relations in a generalized way. General studies of the Singapore China relations such as “20 Years of China Singapore: Diplomatic Relations: An Assessment” by John Wong andLye Liang Fook (Institute of East Asian Studies Publishing House, 2012) systematized multiple events and gave an overview of the relations between the two countries In Singapore, the economic relations between the two countries is a matter of interest with many researches on this topic such as:“Facing the challenge of rising China: Singapore's responses" by Yunhua Liu (2007); "Mind the gaps: Singapore Business in China" by Sree Kumar, Sharon Siddique, and Yuwa Wong(2005); in particular, the book "Advancing Singapore China Economic Relations" by Saw Swee Hock, and John Wong as coeditor (2014), etc The main results of these studies includes the revelation of a rapid and continuous development of Singapore and China’s bilateral economic relations after 1990;indepth discussions of specific economic mechanisms, frameworks and associations; the cooperation status of several important projects; the collaboration between the Government of Singapore and the Chinese locals regarding investments, opportunities and challenges in cooperation; etc The articles above provided us with an important basis for further research The relationships among security defense, cooperation in tourism and labor export, as well as the issue of marriage between Chinese and Singaporean citizens are also mentioned in several articles Their results, though not without restrictions, contributed to clarifying the overall nature of the Singapore China relations We realized related researches in Singapore have not given appropriate attention to several matters such as the Chinese population in Singapore, the active role of the Singaporean government in the economic relations between the two countries, China's investments in Singapore, a number of limitations in institutional trade cooperation, as well as researches on cultural, scientific, and technical cooperation We believe that these are the issues that need to be studied, analyzed, and interpreted in details 1.2.2.Research situation in China General researches on bilateral relations and foreign policies of the two countries include works such as: “The development of the relations between Singapore and China since the Cold War” (? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) by Hou Song Ling (Contemporary AsiaPacific Journal, No. 7/2000); “China built new partnerships with neighboring countries” (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) by editor Zhang Wen Ling (Social Sciences Publishing House, Beijing, 2006), etc present the development and analyze a number of factors affecting the relations between the two countries Economic, political, and legal cooperation as well as cultural exchanges, science and technology, security and defense are also mentioned. However, the authors only illustratethe fundamentals of the relations between Singapore and China before 2005 In China, there are also intensive researches on economic relations between the two countries such as: “Economic relations and trade between China and Southeast Asia in the context of globalization: history, current status and trends” (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? , ? ? ? ? ? ?) by RanDeE (Xiamen University, 2006); “Economic relations between China and East Asian countries” (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) by Yang Huang An (Wen Xian Social Science Publishing House, 2007); “Singapore's direct investments in China and new trends” (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) by Wang Can (Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, No. 2/2007), etc With rich resources, the authors not only reconstructed an overview of economic cooperation, but also analyzed and generalized the characteristics of the economic relations between the two countries as well as pointed out problems, solutions and potential cooperation. However, the view and assessment of these Chinese authors might need to be more objective Cooperation in education and tourism between Singapore China has been assessed in several research articles, though the achieved results have been rather insignificant. The issue of Chinese investment in Singapore, the impact of investor relations on each country, cultural, political, security, and labor cooperation, etc. were only briefly mentioned in a number of general researches. Within the scope of the works we have access to, there is no paper specialized in these issues. This is also one of many research gaps that need attention 1.2.3 Research situation in several other countries The Singapore Chinese relations is regarded by many scholars in their researches on Singapore and China’s foreign policies, such works include: “Riding the Chinese Dragon: Singapore's Pragmatic Relationship with China” by Japanese scholar See Seng Tan (in his book "the Rise of China: Responses from Southeast Asia and Japan" with Jun Tsunekawaas editor); “The Pragmatic ‘Little Red Dot’: Singapore's US Hedge Again China” by English author Robyn Vidra Klingler (Published in “The New Geopolitics of Southeast Asia” LSE IDEAS London 2012); The thesis "Singapore's foreign policy beyond realism" by Australian researcher Ming Hwa Ting (Centre of Asian Studies, University of Adelaide); "East Asia's Relations with a Rising China" by Lam Peng Er, Narayanan Ganesan, and Colin Durkop as editor (Konrad Adenauer Stingtung Publisher, 2010) The above works mentioned the two countries' policies towards each other. The authors mention the issue of autonomy and independence in Singapore's foreign policy as well as China’s ambitious attempt at expanding its influence in Southeast Asia The study of economic relations between Singapore and China is one of several important and prominent ways of exploitation for scientists around the world. Papers like "Singapore China Special Economic Relations: In Search of Business Opportunities" by Japanese scientist Shee Poon Kim (Journal of International Affairs, University of Ritsumeikan, No 3/2005); and "The New Economic Partnership Between China and Singapore” by Paul J Bolt(Asian Affairs: An American Review, No 3/1996), etc explored multiple specific economic policies of Singapore toward China through a pragmatist view The articles indicate the importance of economic cooperation, as well as its opportunities, challenges and main features. Furthermore, foreign researchers are also interested in the impact the Chinese population in Singapore have on the Singapore China relations, as shown in “Chinese Migration to Singapore: Discourses and Discontents in a Globalizing Nation State” by Chinese author Brenda S. A. Yeoh (Asian and Pacific Migration Journal Vol 22, No. 1/2013); and “The Role of Chinese Clan Associations for Singapore's Economic Development” by Stir Lee Khuay Khiang and Patrick Low Kim Cheng, published in 2009 Basically, studies about the Singapore China relations in various countries around the world are plentiful in number. The researchers clarified a number of issues related to this relationship, especially foreign policies and economic relations. Security defense, education cooperation, Chinese population in Singapore and immigration issues are also mentioned from different angles, though not profound and systematic Aspects such as political and tourism cooperation have not been intensively studied 1.3 General comments on research situation and issues that the thesis needs to focus on solving From different angles, most current studies aim to identify, evaluate all or some of the field of the two countries’ relations: Firstly, the aforementioned works mention almost all aspects, with economy attracting the most attention Secondly, compared to foreign countries, studies in Vietnam concerning the Singapore China relations are rather brief and modest in scope while the works of foreign scholars are more indepth and multifaceted, especially those concerning economic relations Nevertheless, many problems regarding the bilateral relations has not been clarified, specifically: Firstly, the personal factor, the relationship between the two countries' leaders, and the impact of these factors on Singapore China relations have not been thoroughly explained or analyzed. The same is true regarding Singapore's relations with different Chinese localities Secondly, the nature of Chinese investments in Singapore has not gathered appropriate attention. Studies on matters such as political relations, culture, science, technology, security, and defense need refinement. The derivation of the characteristics and the effects of this peculiar relationship for the benefits of other parties such as Vietnam needs to be discussed further. Thirdly, the impact of the Chinese population in Singapore on the relations the two countries has not been satisfactorily assessed Fourthly, the characteristics of the two nations’ relations also need to be identified and assessed systematically Chapter 2 FACTORS AFFECTING THE SINGAPORE CHINA RELATIONS FROM 1990 TO 2010 2.1 International factors 10 3.2.1.2 Commercial structure Statistics show that, there was a change in commodity structure of the Singapore China trade relations between 1990 and 2010. Commodity group based on natural resources was declining while manufactured goods were growing strongly. The commodity group derived from natural resources that accounted for more than half the market share of Singapore's imports from China in 1992plummeted to just over 1/10 of the market share in 2009. The same was also true for similar goods imported into China from Singapore The commercial structure of the two countries was increasingly dominated by manufactured goods. Singapore’s imports of Chinese manufactured goods increased from 46.4% to almost double the rates(89.2%) from 1992 to 2009. As for exports from Singapore to China, market share of manufactured goods significantly increased from 29.1% (1992) to 85% (2005). The change in the bilateral trade structure was more or less related to the state of investment relations between the two countries, as well as how Singapore skillfully exploited its central role in China’s global production network and as an intermediate economy 3.2.2 Investments 3.2.2.1 Singapore’s investments in China About the scope of investments, statistics show that the amount of Singapore's investments in China from 1990 to 2010 developed in stages It increased from 1990 to 1998 and had a tendency to stabilize and decrease since 1999 The number of projects also declined slightly Since 2005, investments recovered and grew steadily, reaching a record 47.49 billion USD (2010), making Singapore a leading investor in China. The average size of an investment project in China also increased The annual number of new projects rised sharply and largescale projects with investment capital of up to tens of billions of dollars started to appear Business and investment scope of Singaporean companies in China also experienced changes Furthermore, forms of investment was increasingly diversified At first, direct investments accounted for up to 90%. A majority of investment projects were acquired through new contracts rather than acquisitions Later, the investment forms became more diverse, with them being deployed in the forms of joint ventures, coproduction, or 100% capital and equity investments through stock exchanges Singaporean investors were quite sensible in choosing their investment fields. Early on, they focused real estate, construction, hotel and restaurant business, as well as light industry. Later, Singapore had several adjustments, shifting focus on other potential sectors such as finance, hightech industries and services Singapore 16 exploited investments in service in many fields such as education, healthcare, tourism, clean energy, transportation, seaport and air From a narrow investment area with emphasis on urban and southeastern coastal areas, after 1992, Singapore gradually expanded its investment areas to northern provinces such as Beijing, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Shandong and Sichuan. Since 2001, Singapore's investment zone had been expanded to the west and northeast of China 3.2.2.2 China’s investments in Singapore China had been exploiting Singapore’s investment market for decades, though this exploitation only really thrived since 2000. The investment capital of China in Singapore steadily grew, with total cumulative investments at 877 million SGD in 2001 and 11.515 billion SGD in 2010 China’s FDI accounted for only 2% of Singapore's overseas FDI The number of Chinese enterprises investing in Singapore had a tendency to increase. China invested in both large enterprises and small commercial companies. Investments from Chinese enterprises in Singapore span across various fields, including transport, construction, resource, finance, technology, commerce, and tourism, of which the finance and insurance sectors accounted for a large proportion. Although late, implementation of China's investments in Singapore has potential and great prospects 3.3 Other relations 3.3.1 Culture The similarities in cultures were a notable characteristic of the Singapore China relations, which has a strong influence on the policies regarding their cooperation. Collaboration and cultural exchange between Singapore and China from 1990 to 2010 was an energetic and exciting process on both a national and local level, which includes cultural exchange among the two nations’ people In addition to successfully establishing legal cultural cooperation document system, Singapore and China worked together to organize and manage activities such as academic, literature, arts, and heritage exchanges; as well as complementary exhibitions and visits. Cultural relations between the two nations have developed over people exchange channels, visits, tourism, businesses, marriages, labor exports, student exchanges, and the media, as well as social networks, etc The result of the achievements obtained from cooperation between Singapore and China had both positive and negative effects. On one hand, it contributed to enhancing mutual understanding and cultural connection between the two countries in the process of integration, promotion of friendship between two peoples, as well as the construction of the foundation for future cooperation On the other hand, for 17 various reasons, especially the sense of one's own cultural identity in Singapore during the integration period, though the two countries shared common inherently cultural values, cultural cooperation cultural still appeared to be conservative with a lot of untapped potentials 3.3.2 Science and Technology Science and engineering was a field with a lot of potential In 1992, Singapore and China signed an agreement on cooperation in science and technology, and at the same time, built scientific and technological cooperation forums for uses in collaborative researches, development and commercialization of scientific achievements, as well as their integration in production. In 1998, the two countries proposed a Singapore China research collaboration project, and established a representative office of the Chinese Ministry of Science and technology in Singapore in order to build a bridge for bilateral scientific and technical cooperation Moreover, the countries also successfully attracted many enterprises and scientific and technological institutes in many different fields such as biomedical engineering, new materials, laser technology, space exploration, communication, and automation In particular, activities such as the integration of technology in the manufactural system, the overall planning and application of science and technology in Singapore's leading projects in the Chinese market were effectively executed. Nevertheless, the potential of scientific and technological cooperation between Singapore and China had not been fully exploited 3.3.3 Education Cooperation in education and training between Singapore and China was an important part of the overall strategic development of relations between the two countries Cooperation was promoted on three main channels: government to government; among schools and institutions; and among educational enterprises. Although the two governments had not effectively institutionalized mechanisms for educational cooperation, organizations such as universities, institutions, and especially private enterprises have actively developed various partnerships. Therefore, these forms of cooperation greatly varied, ranging from primary to postgraduate education, from government officials to entrepreneurs, from self funding to funding from government, etc. The educational cooperation between the two countries not only satisfied the needs of fully educated and thoroughly trained human resources with the ability to adapt to this day and age’s trends such as international integration, development, and cultural exchange expansion. Educational cooperation not only promoted comprehensive relations between the two countries, but also generated significant profits 18 3.3.4 Tourism Since the establishment of the China Singapore diplomatic relations, tourism had become one of the most exploitable areas. By collaborations, the two countries created favorable conditions for tourism as well as diversify forms of ancillary service exploitation They produced tourism products and invested in integrated resorts, as well as diversify their ways to promote tourism Mainland Chinese tourists that visit Singapore increased, accounting for 10% of the total number of tourists in the citystate, bringing in a revenue of 1.1 billion USD (2010). This gradually turned China into an important partner in tourism for Singapore. Moreover, China became the third most attractive foreign tourist spot for Singaporeans, with Singaporean tourists accounting for 0.4% 0.8% of the total number of visitors to China 3.3.5 Labor export China was a potential source of cheap, exportready labor Meanwhile, Singapore had constantly had shortage of labor, especially unskilled workers. The reception of foreign workers including Chinese labor was a critical need of Singapore. Since 1985, cooperation to export labor between the two countries had been deployed Most Chinese laborers moved to Singapore and worked there legally through a labor cooperation program initiated by the governments Contrary, there was still a division of Chinese citizens that immigrated to Singapore illegally Moreover, China also hade division of “Chinese workers working for Singaporean projects located in China”. The increase in number of Chinese workers in Singapore made it China’s second largest labor market. Chinese workers operated mainly in fields such as construction, catering, agriculture, livestock, fishing, and transportation, etc. The number of immigrant Chinese workers that worked as aircraft maintainers, electrical workers, nurses, and kindergarten teachers also increased Along with China’s robust and booming economy, demand for highquality human resources was also present. More and more Singaporeans find works in China and which often were highly paid jobs such as company management and administration Most of those were from a IT, telecommunications or electronics engineering background Chapter 4 COMMENTS ON SINGAPORE CHINA RELATIONS FROM 1990 TO 2010 4.1 Achievements and limitations 19 4.1.1 Achievements The Singapore China partnership from 1990 to 2010 had made great strides and achieved many achievements: Firstly, the relationship between Singapore and China had been under continuous development that was consistent with cooperation demand cooperate at any given time. Secondly, Singapore and China had comprehensively and effectively established cooperative relations Thirdly, the countries had built several flexible cooperation forms with a relatively tight legal framework The aforementioned achievements were derived from the following reasons: Firstly, by putting national interests in the forefront, Singapore and China were fully aware of the importance of a strategic cooperation plan in sustaining peace, stability, economic innovation, and international economic integration. Secondly, the countries saw the connection between China’s development strategy and Singapore's unique strengths, as well as demand in development and inheritance of the China ASEAN cooperative relations’ advantages Thirdly, Singapore prioritized economic cooperation Fourthly, China’s policy emphasized on developing comprehensive relations with Southeast Asia, including Singapore 4.1.2 Limitations Besides the basic and important achievements, the Singapore China relations also had several notable shortcomings: Firstly, Singapore and China did not achieve a high enough degree of mutual trust in order to upgrade their bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership Secondly, the relationship between Singapore and China in terms of economy though obtained various achievements, had several shortcomings: The export share of Singapore and China was a relatively small part of the total foreign trade volume of the two countries; Commerce significantly depended on transits and reexport with a lack of stability; Investment environment in China lacked uniformity; the two countries were dissimilar in terms of modern business cultures; Distribution of Singaporean investments in China was rather fragmented; There was also a great disparity between promised and actual capital in various investment contracts Thirdly, the qualification gap and several restrictions arisen from both nations led to many problems that were not resolved in time, which obstructed cooperation. Fourthly, both countries had not fully exploited the inherent potential for cooperation The aforementioned limitations were the results of both internal and external factors Pointing out these restrictions and its causes helped with remediation and efficiency improvement of the cooperation between the two countries in the next phases 4.2 Characteristics of the Singapore China relations 20 4.2.1.The relationship between the two countries had a practical and effective nature From Singapore’s point of view, the practical nature its relations with China were illustrated by its policies regarding several actions such as ensuring mutually beneficial objectives, taking full advantage of every opportunity to exploit various resources in economic cooperation with China, as well as the world, and actively separating independent commercial and political relations before officially establishing diplomatic relations. Singapore had always kept a safe distance in addition to active prevention and selfprotection by balancing strength in security political relations and other areas. The citystate also maintained and developed relations with China as well as other countries in order to achieve balance and mutual restraint Furthermore, Singapore also applied a collective defense policy, establishing binding relationships in order to both shield itself from harm and create opportunities for cooperation and development With brilliant, flexible, and practical foreign policies regarding its relations with China, Singapore showed that its limitation in size did not prevent it from becoming one of the world’s strongest nation Regarding China, being pragmatic was also a good measure in its relations with Singapore Beijing knew how to take advantage Singapore’s capital, technologies, and unique competitive power in order to facilitate the development and expansion of international cooperation The Chinese government also aggressively made use of Singapore’s experience in economic development. Politically, good relations with Singapore meant that China would have more means to establish its relations with ASEAN members, proving the nation’s rise to be a peaceful one while successfully establishing its influence in Southeast Asia as well as the world 4.2.2.The relationship between the two countries was heavily affected by the Chinese community The Chinese community is a specific factor that heavily affected the Singapore China relations To Singapore, the Chinese community has both positive and negative effects. On one hand, kinship bond and economic power of the Chinese community in Singapore were positive factors in the process of cooperation with China It encouraged increase in trade flows, investments, culture, education and science for both countries. On the other hand, in pursuit of its policies regarding the needs of a national identity and strategic balance, as well as ethnic reasons, the Chinese community created cautious sentiment in some of Singapore's major policy towards China Because of this, the Singapore China relations flourished economically, but limited in terms of political, culture, security, and defense cooperation. It could be said that the Chinese community factor hade significant and 21 multifaceted impact on the formation and development of the Singapore China relations as well as the countries’ pursuit of cooperation. In the future, this factor would continue to affect both nations’ relations with each other 4.2.3.The relationship between the two countries showed the proactive role of Singaporean government It can be said that the proactive and flexible role of the Singaporean government in cooperation between Singapore and Chinese was a unique characteristic derived from the relationship between a small and a big country in order ensure effective implementation In term of economy, Singapore's investments in China were under strong government involvement through the offer of detailed plans, financial support, legal basis and information provision to businesses that wish to invest in the Chinese market. Singapore’s leaders had had multiple visits to China along with entrepreneurs in order to not only inspect investment environment and define the destination for large investment projects, but also discuss investment plans with partners. On a side note, Singapore, as a small country, had various advantages in the deployment and implement of additional concentrated policies. In its relations with a country as large as China, the Government of Singapore had taken the initiative to develop direct partnership mechanisms with local authorities, reducing the problems arising between the two parties This demonstrated the flexibility and creativity of Singaporean government in taking effective measures. This characteristic had a major impact on the formation and development of the nations’ bilateral relations as well as the achievements the two countries strived to gain from that relationship 4.2.4.The relationship between the two countries had a complementary rather than competitive nature, especially in terms of economy This feature is derived from the starting level of the two countries. Singapore had the advantage of an open economy as well as tight links with other developing countries The citystate could also act as a bridge for Beijing to expand its international integration. Singapore had financial advantages but lacks available land needed for economic development The country was experienced but lacked materials, labor and markets, etc. Those needs could be provided by China. Singapore could share with China valuable experience in the construction and development, especially in fields such as economy, management, law, community building, social and religious harmony, environment, etc In addition, the structure of import and export between Singapore and China showed that commercial relations between the two countries had a complementary nature. The rapid development of international economic integration as well as high degree of intraindustry trade for manufactured goods in the commercial relations 22 between Singapore and China had optimized the commodity structure of the countries’ bilateral commerce This combined with the division of labor in the production process showed that trade between the two countries had a complementary nature 4.3 Effects of the Singapore China relations 4.3.1 For Singapore The Singapore China relations from 1990 to 2010 had a multifaceted and multidimensional impact on the economic and social development process in Singapore The bilateral relations opened up many commercial and investment opportunities to Singapore, and helped solve the market problem. The relations also increased the transshipment role of Singapore in international trade, creating an energetic investment market Economic benefits from establishing relations with China helped Singapore maintain a stable economic growth. Nevertheless, the rise of China along with its cheap labor and large market made it a prominent competitor of Singapore in Asia Economic benefits from the relationship with China affected Singapore’s political and social stability, as well as created favorable conditions for the citystate to improve the quality of life and social security of Singaporeans. Cooperation with China solved the problem of labor shortages, but also made Singapore somewhat dependent on China in terms of workforce. On the other hand, Chinese workers in Singapore also sparked protests against immigrants which had a profound impact on national social stability Relations between the two countries strengthened cultural integration and exchanges The “soft power” of Chinese culture encouraged Singapore to remain cautious and strive to build a culture with national identity Regarding external relations and international cooperation, important achievements obtained by cooperating with China showed that Singapore's foreign policies were consistent with the current situation and had many beneficial advantages. Singapore’s modest attitude of Singapore in its relations with China strengthened the citystate’s fortitude in the eyes of neighbors, ensuring consistent principles in its foreign policies and helping Singapore expand its international relations 4.3.2 For China The Singapore China relations had a positive impact on China, contributing to the construction of infrastructure and economic development, as well as encouraging the development of several important sectors such as service, education, 23 tourism development, information technology, petrochemicals, real estate, labor, and connection to the international markets Investment and labor cooperation helped create jobs and increased incomes for workers. Those benefits positively affected the economy and have a major impact on security issues, as well as stability and social development. The relations also helped China train highquality human resources, development management team, skilled workers, and were an important part of the civil development process Besides, Singapore had shared with Chinese valuable lessons on areas such as management, anticorruption, legal system, community housing management, social welfare, healthcare, environmental awareness, as well as various experience in solving problems arising during the development process. The exchange and sharing of experience through practical cooperation between Singapore and China was the way to create Singapore’s "soft power" in China 4.3.3 For Southeast Asia and Vietnam The Singapore China relations had a considerable impact on the Southeast Asian region: Firstly, through relations with Singapore, China’s influence in Southeast Asia was rapidly improving The relations between the two countries promoted the development of the ASEAN China relations. Secondly, their policies promoted equal cooperation that was based on respect for national independence, sovereignty and mutual benefit. They also gradually calmed the suspicions many countries in Southeast Asia had with Singapore, while strengthening the ASEAN group; Thirdly, in terms of economy, the development of the economic relations between Singapore and China also contributed to increasing the economic competitiveness of ASEAN The expanded scope of activities and cooperation between the nations combined with major obtained achievements encouraged the region to expand its integration process, with an emphasis on economic integration, and in crease ditscompetitiveness and economical influence on the world For Vietnam, the improved Singapore China relations had promoted partnerships between Vietnam and other countries in the region, including China and Singapore The relationship also encouraged economic reforms and increased competitiveness of Vietnamese products. However, Chinese goods manufactured in cooperation with Singaporean investors could possibly smother many industries in Vietnam, turning the country into a consumer market and raw materials supplier for Chinese industry This was one of many economical and security challenges for Vietnam Moreover, China may use its economic ties to create political pressure against Vietnam The rise of political security relations between Singapore and China did not have any significant impact on Vietnam at the time 24 The success of the Singapore China relations and its characteristics gave Vietnam various valuable lessons about foreign policies: Firstly, independence and autonomy in foreign affairs is an important aspect. National interests should always be put in the forefront when implementing policies. Secondly, flexibility is important in international relations Thirdly, being proactive when it comes to international relations was necessary A country needs to plan ahead and seek opportunities whenever possible CONCLUSION Since the early 90s of the twentieth century, the end of the Cold War era opened the period of relative peace, diplomacy, and global cooperation. This trend, along with the intrinsic needs of Singapore and China had created a new catalyst in order to accelerate the process of cooperation between the two countries, especially in the field of economy The rise of globalization, regionalization, the development process in Singapore as well as the political reform of China in the 80s created a stable basis for relations normalization and expansion in economic, political, and security cooperation between the two countries Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, relations between Singapore and China continued growth in all areas, building towards a comprehensive and cooperative relationship. The two countries came together to build facilitative mechanisms in order to create a synchronous legal framework. The Singapore China economic cooperation was an area of top priority in the process of promoting bilateral relations. This was also the most successful and efficient aspect which governs other relations The Singapore China relations were also developed strongly in the remaining aspects. The political relations between Singapore and China developed rapidly, the two nations had flexible and cooperative mechanisms for achieving desired efficiency. This created a solid basis for bilateral cooperation in other fields, of which cooperation in labor export and education achieved various goals, satisfying the needs of human resources for the labor market of Singapore and the need of an advanced education system training highquality workforce in China Bilateral cooperation in tourism showed signs of significant achievements and great potential. Cultural, security, and defense cooperation between Singapore and China, despite making great progress compared to the previous era, did not achieved the same success like the other areas. In particular, to enhance efficiency, the countries had created the vivid, unique cooperation methods, marked by the establishment of the bilateral cooperation councils both between governments and among localities Taken as a whole, the Singapore China relations showed clear signs of competitiveness, cooperation and continuous development of which cooperation is the 25 main trend. Results achieved from 1990 to 2010 showed that the nature of the Singapore China relations strived towards inclusiveness, contributing to the strong growth of cooperative trend and regional integration in Asia Pacific after the Cold War The development of the relations between Singapore and China had a multi dimensional and profound imp acton each country’s development process, especially their ability to sustain economic growth and promote international integration. The biggest goal for Singapore in developing relations with China was to overcome the city state’s inherent limitations, especially the shortage of natural resources, markets and human resources needed to ensure advancement. At the same time, Singapore wanted to use China’s position in its preventive diplomatic strategy. The fact that most of the population in Singapore were immigrant Chinese encouraged the Singaporean government to pay more attention to its ethnical and social policies. On the other hand, economic benefits from the relationship with China led to new problems regarding social security and quality of life of citizens. The negative impact on society from Chinese immigrants raised a wave of relatively strong reactions in Singapore. Additionally, in the form of cultural cooperation, Chinese government’s policy on expanding China’s influence through "soft power" may also affect Singapore’s national identity For China, its relations with Singapore over the period from 1990 to 2010 helped the country meet the needs of capital, advanced technology, and management experience in economic development The achievements in the process of cooperation helped China construct modern infrastructure, connecting China's economy to external markets, especially multinational companies from developed capitalist countries and large Chinese companies in Southeast Asia. Singapore also had an important role in the process of restructuring economic sectors and regions in China. The political and social relations between Singapore and China helped solve the unemployment problem, increased incomes of workers and contributed to social stability Besides, cooperation between Singapore and China also gave China the opportunity to train highquality human resources in order to serve the country, as well as improve the education quality and open up educational opportunities for citizens In addition, relations between Singapore and China over the period had significant impacts on the association between ASEAN and China Overall, even though some limitations still persisted, the two countries’ relationship and its achievement had positive effects on both nations as well as others in the region, promoting “mutual beneficial partnerships” The Singapore China relations is a relationship between a small developed country with a large developing country with its own unique characteristics. Singapore is inherently a small country in terms of available land, with more than 26 threequarters of the population being Chinese. Kinship and cultural similarities have a profound impact on the course of this relationship Besides, the two nations’ governments, especially Lee Kuan Yew, extensively influenced to the process of establishing diplomatic relations and promoting comprehensive cooperation between Singapore and China The most striking feature observed from process of formation and development of the Singapore China relations is the Chinese community and its practical and flexible nature. The Chinese community factor has both positive and negative effects, bringing in important advantages but also posing tough challenges. The practical and flexible nature of the relationship makes it very flexible and effective in dealing with problems arising in economic, political and security cooperation The specific characteristics of the Singapore China relations distinguish itself from other bilateral relations In the next era, these characteristics can still be maintained to create nuances in the countries’ bilateral relations Researches about the Singapore China relations from 1990 to 2010 show that comprehensive cooperation trends are on the rise, however, several challenges and obstacles are still present Firstly, the strong emergence of China, especially its decisive action in the conspiracy to monopolize the South China Sea and further involvement of the United States, as well as and the strategic competition between the United States and China posed many challenges to regional security and cooperation, including relations between Singapore and China. For political goals, big countries could negotiate with each other in attempts to try to entice the Southeast Asian countries to be on their side. Singapore faced various problems such as how to balance the interests between the US and China while staying neutral; how to keep its own independence, as well as cultural and political identity while exploiting the advantages without negatively affecting its relationships with the US and China Secondly, the increase in economic competition, especially the rapid growth in potential of the Chinese economy weakened Singapore’s advantages in terms of capital and technology, which are the main factors that attracted China during the 1990 2010 period. the problem of finding a way to maintain their advantages was a major challenge the citystate has to face Thirdly, the Singapore China relations are an integral part of international relations in the region, especially ASEAN's relations with external partners. The choice of measures for harmonizing bilateral and multilateral relations, as well as ensuring national interests, and promoting cooperation are the challenges faced by Singapore 27 today This is especially true when an ASEAN community and the TransPacific Partnership (TTP) is gradually becoming a reality, of which Singapore is a member Although faced with many challenges, the relations between Singapore and China are striving towards a new era On the basis of obtained achievements combined with new advantages as well as the fact that Singapore and China both show needs of cooperation towards profitability, the relations between Singapore and China show immense potential for further development Fourthly, the success of the Singapore China relations and its characteristics has showed Vietnam several valuable lessons. That is the importance of independence and autonomy, as well as the need to put national interests and issues above all when it comes to planning and implementing foreign policies, especially with China. Also, it is necessary to be practical flexible, and proactive when dealing with international relations. Vietnam need to plan ahead and seek opportunities whenever possible in order to be successful in its development process RELATED PUBLISHED RESEARCHES 1. Ton Nu Hai Yen (2013), “The process of establishing official diplomatic relations between the Republic of Singapore and the People’s Republic of”, Southeast Asian Studies, August (161) 2. Ton Nu Hai Yen (2014), “Singapore and its relations with Taiwan and China”, Proceedings of the ‘Researches and teaching of culture, society, and history’ seminar, Social Sciences Publishing House, 2014 Ton Nu Hai Yen (2014), “Singapore China educational cooperation from 1990 to 2013”, Southeast Asian Studies, December 2014 4. Ton Nu Hai Yen (2016), “Singapore’s investments in Mainland China from 1990 to 2010”, Southeast Asian Studies, February 2016 28 This thesis was completed at Vinh University Supervisors: 1. Prof. Tran Khanh 2. Prof. Pham Ngoc Tan Reviewer 1: Reviewer 2: Reviewer 3: The thesis will be defended in presence of the university thesis assessment board at Vinh University Time: The thesis can be found at: 29 The National Library Vinh University Library 30 ... and development of the Singapore China relations from 1990 to 2010 - Clarify the development process and nature of the relations between Singapore and China from 1990 to 2010 through an indepth analysis of specific ... About the thesis title: the title "Singapore China Relations from 1990 to 2010" indicates the relations between the Republic of Singapore and the People's Republic of China. The thesis research focuses on Singapore s relations with mainland China ... Chapter 1. Overview of the research situation Chapter 2. Factors affecting the Singapore China relations from 1990 to 2010 Chapter 3. Singapore China relations in multiple fields from 1990 to 2010 Chapter 4. Comments on Singapore China relations from 1990 to 2010