Asia:NZ hosts Singapore Foreign Minister in Wellington
Singapore’s Foreign Minister, George Yeo, emphasised the “relaxed relationship” between his country and New Zealand at an informal networking lunch hosted by Asia:NZ chairman Hon Philip Burdon in Wellington today (15 June). Guests included Asia:NZ trustees Ken Douglas, Gavin Ellis, Vino Ramayah, Tony Nowell and Asia:NZ young leaders Anna-Marie Luke, Geoff Jelley and Chris Wong.
Minister Yeo is winding up an official visit to New Zealand which has so far included a stop in Queenstown and visits to various businesses in Wellington, including Weta Workshop and Meridian Eco-headquarters.
Minister Yeo has had a high-profile military career and held several ministerial posts (Health, Trade and Industry, Information and the Arts) before becoming Singapore’s Foreign Minister in 2004.
At a function held at the Wellington Club, George Yeo spoke highly of the historical relationship between New Zealand and Singapore, one of the founding members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). “There are many good memories about Kiwis amongst ordinary Singaporeans,” Minister Yeo said. He was keen to emphasise the two countries’ common perspectives and similar positions on issues of importance.
Asia is developing at a rate beyond our grasp, he pointed out. Statistics are impressive, but it is even more breathtaking to see these changes take place on the ground. “We are in a good part of the world,” continued George Yeo and offered his views on developments in China, India, Indonesia and Viet Nam. “Our strategy in Southeast Asia is to clump together, because if we don’t it will be ultimately to our disadvantage.”
George Yeo went on to stress that regional integration in the Asia-Pacific is especially important for small countries such as Singapore and New Zealand. He reminded the audience of the region’s turbulent history at a time when "the Mekong used to be a dividing line between two worlds". His message underlined the contrast with today’s generally peaceful international environment offering very good perspectives for development.
There are a number of regional frameworks where Singapore and New Zealand work closely together – APEC (which Singapore hosted in 2009), the security-focused ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the East Asia Summit (EAS), an annual top level regional forum.
China’s inexorable rise, India’s differently paced but significant growth and the continued US influence in the region created some interesting relationship dynamics that are yet to reach fruition. New Zealand is part of the region; it is “of Europe but increasingly of Asia in the future.”
Renewable energy is one area where New Zealand can lead the way in innovation. Visiting Meridian Energy and Makara Wind Farm had given Minister Yeo a glimpse of New Zealand’s eco-friendly development and sensitivity to nature.
In a region which is expected to account for 60 percent of global growth, 40 percent of global trade and 61 percent of global military spending, Singapore is our seventh largest overseas trade destination (Statistics New Zealand, April 2010). The Singapore Foreign Minister stressed the significance of trade links and in particular the pioneering 2001 New Zealand-Singapore Closer Economic Partnership (CEP), which had sparked off a series of preferential trade agreements in the region. Most recently, Singapore and New Zealand co-operated in the development and conclusion of the Australia/New Zealand/ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) which was signed in 2009.
The 2001 CEP evolved into the P4 agreement between New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei and Chile. This, in turn, is growing into a larger Trans-Pacific Economic Partnership (TPP), with Australia, Peru, Viet Nam and the United States having expressed interest in joining. According to some experts, this could be a significant framework for further development of the Asia-Pacific regional architecture.
The speech was an opportunity for Minister Yeo to reaffirm there are a multitude of opportunities and positive developments to be seized upon if we bind our economies together. Singapore is New Zealand’s closest partner in ASEAN; it also offered solid support to New Zealand in the bid to join the Asia-Europe Meeting at its October 2010 summit. “If New Zealand and Singapore were corporates, a merger between New Zealand Inc and Singapore Inc would serve us both nicely,” concluded George Yeo.
- by Antonia Kokalova-Gray
Photos:
1) left to right - Chris Wong, Hon Philip Burdon, Minister Yeo, Geoff Jelley, Anna-Marie Luke
2) Minister George Yeo speaking at the Asia:NZ lunch in Wellington