Chan cites examples of Singapore’s support through the decades. At the start of the 1990s, Singapore took a “long-term view” that it was in the region’s interests for China to be integrated with the global economy. “We were one of the few initially to support China’s entry into the WTO.”
In the 2000s, as the Chinese was evolving fast, Singapore worked on the next government to government (G2G) project — the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city. “At that point in time, maybe the word sustainability wasn’t as fashionable as it is now. But we took a long-term perspective,” says Chan.
In the 2010s, Singapore worked with the Chinese on the third G2G project — the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Connectivity Initiative (CCI). “How do you connect the western part of China, which is relatively less well-connected than the coastal provinces, in terms of logistics, data and finance, so that you can unleash the potential of western China?” says Chan.