KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY MINISTER GRACE FU AT THE 9TH JAPAN-SINGAPORE SYMPOSIUM,
25 MARCH 2013
Parliamentary Senior Vice-Minister Shunichi Suzuki
Co-Chair Shotaro Yachi
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Introduction
1 I am delighted to be here for the 9th Japan-Singapore Symposium. Since the first Symposium was held in 1995, the JSS has matured greatly as a platform, bringing together politicians, government officials, academia, as well as participants from business and media from both Singapore and Japan under one roof to share opinions and perspectives on key global and regional issues of the day. The JSS has been an invaluable forum in exploring how our two countries can strengthen bilateral and regional cooperation.
2 As a young nation, Singapore has much to learn from Japan and its people. When I visited Japan in December last year to represent Singapore at the Fukushima Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety, I saw a people determined to rebuild their lives against the incredible odds after the devastation of the March 11th Earthquake and Tsunami. A little over two years have passed since the disasters, but the resilience, the cohesion and the strong community spirit of the Japanese people continue to inspire Singaporeans and people all over the world, offering us great hopes and also important lessons in uncertain times.
A World in Transition
3 Since the 8th JSS in April 2011, the world has seen many changes. In the Middle East, sweeping political changes known as the Arab Spring have dramatically transformed the social and political landscape of the region. The repercussions of those profound changes have also captured the attention of peoples and governments in other regions. In our own neighbourhood, China’s steady economic development has made it the major economic partner of many East Asian countries. Its growing presence on the international stage has brought about adjustments in the global geopolitical order. Across the Pacific, the US economy is showing signs of recovery. Despite its domestic challenges, the US’ active and constructive engagement with Asia remains an indispensable stabilising factor for regional peace and prosperity.
4 In Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made restoring Japan’s economic vitality a top priority. In contrast to my visit in December, I cannot help but notice a strong mood of optimism in Japan this time round. Two of the three arrows advocated by "Abenomics" have achieved positive results in recent months. I was also heartened by Prime Minister Abe’s announcement that Japan would participate in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. Singapore welcomes this decision. We have consistently and strongly supported Japan’s entry to the TPP and we look forward to Japan joining the negotiations soon. As a key regional player and the world’s third largest economy, Japan has always played a crucial role in the development of the Asia Pacific. We are happy that Prime Minister Abe has made Southeast Asia and ASEAN a key priority in Japan’s foreign policy. The visits by Prime Minister Abe, Deputy Prime Minister Aso and Foreign Minister Kishida to the region in January have sent a strong message of Japan’s commitment to engaging Southeast Asia.
The Singapore-Japan Partnership: Taking Stock
5 Despite the uncertainties in the international environment, Singapore and Japan have continued to nurture an excellent and multi-faceted bilateral relationship. This relationship is underpinned by mutual respect and trust, close personal ties and frequent exchanges between leaders on both sides. We were very happy to receive Foreign Minister Kishida in Singapore in January as one of the stops of his first overseas visit soon after taking office. Former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong visited Japan earlier this month to meet with Japanese political and business leaders. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will also be making an official visit to Japan later this year in addition to attending the Japan-ASEAN Commemorative Summit in December.
6 Singapore and Japan share deep and longstanding economic and business links. In 2012, Japan was Singapore’s 8th largest trading partner. Our bilateral trade valued at US$41 billion accounted for about 5.3% of Singapore’s total trade. Despite the relatively small Singapore domestic market, we were Japan’s 15th largest trading partner in 2012. Singapore was also the first country to ink an economic partnership agreement with Japan. Since 2002, the Japan-Singapore Economic Partnership Agreement has created many opportunities for businesses and enhanced the attractiveness of both markets.
7 The Singapore-Japan partnership has been built up over many decades. When Singapore became independent in 1965, we had a small and fragile economy disadvantaged by the lack of natural resources. Japan and Japanese companies were among the first to invest heavily in Singapore, bringing in much-needed capital, technology and know-how. It is therefore not an exaggeration to say that Japan had helped to lay the foundation of Singapore’s industrialisation and development. This is something Singapore and Singaporeans remember well.
8 The goodwill that Singapore has for Japan was amply evident in the spontaneous outpouring of empathy and support from the Singaporean public in the aftermath of the March 11th disasters. The Singapore Red Cross raised S$35.7 million or 2.4 billion Yen in donations – one of the largest sums ever contributed by Singapore to disaster relief and rebuilding in a foreign country. In addition to the immediate relief and recovery efforts in the disaster-hit areas, the donations were used to support four reconstruction projects in the Tohoku region. Given the colossal scale of the disasters, our efforts can only make a modest contribution to the massive reconstruction needs of the affected prefectures. The third reconstruction project, the Shichigahama Toyama Nursery School, was recently completed and the opening ceremony will be held in early May. I am told that the children in Shichigahama have affectionately named the nursery "Lion Park", after Singapore’s other name, the “Lion City”. This exemplifies the deep bonds between our two countries.
9 Young Singaporeans have also participated actively in the "Kizuna Project" launched by the Japanese government in April 2012. So far, three batches of Singaporean youth have attended the programme, spending time with their host families and visiting the disaster areas. Through first-hand experiences, the participants were able to dispel the lingering negative perceptions about Japanese produce. In fact, when I was in Fukushima, I had drunk the water there, bought local snacks and also nihonshu as well. I believe the best way to help our friends in Tohoku is to show that we have confidence and will continue to believe in them.
10 Besides our deep people-to-people ties, we have also built up our institutional exchanges through regular dialogues and programmes at various levels, such as this Symposium, the MFA-Gaimusho Dialogue, as well as the Temasek and Raffles Programmes which are aimed at promoting better understanding between the officials and leaders of our two countries. In fact, I was very happy to learn that Mr Yachi was our first Raffles Programme participant.
11 Our partnership also extends to the region – the Japan-Singapore Partnership Programme for the 21st Century (JSPP21) is Singapore’s second largest joint technical assistance programme with another country. And since 1994, Singapore and Japan have worked together to train over 5,200 government officials from developing countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Pacific through some 300 training courses in many diverse fields including public governance, trade promotion and urban planning.
12 Finally, our shared strategic outlook and our common interests in maritime security, freedom of navigation and respect for a rules-based international framework provide a firm foundation to work together for the peace and prosperity of the region. Singapore and Japan maintain close cooperation on various maritime initiatives such as the Regional Co-operation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia, as well as at the International Maritime Organization and other regional and international fora.
Japan and ASEAN: Opportunities Ahead
13 At the regional level, ASEAN and Japan have developed an important and longstanding friendship since the 1970s. The ASEAN-Japan partnership has evolved into one of ASEAN’s most substantive relationships with cooperation in a wide range of areas including disaster management, counter-terrorism, health and welfare, maritime security, and people-to-people exchanges. We should keep up this momentum and continue to look for opportunities to realise the vast potential for mutually beneficial cooperation.
14 Japan has a population of about 127 million people while Southeast Asia is home to an estimated 600 million. Japan is ASEAN’s second largest trading partner, with total bilateral trade growing by 32 percent to US$273 billion in 2011. ASEAN has made good progress towards realising its goal of becoming an ASEAN Economic Community by 2015, which will transform the region into a single market and production base and lead to a more conducive operating environment for businesses. Trade liberalisation initiatives like the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership or RCEP will further push the envelope. The RCEP would be a formidable trade agreement since it comprises 47% of the world’s population and 40% of global trade. Japan’s continued presence and investments will help to develop the economies of ASEAN countries. And in turn, Japan can ride on the region’s growth to boost its own domestic economy.
15 Japan has been a strong supporter of ASEAN's Community building efforts and its centrality in the regional architecture in fora such as the ASEAN Plus Three, East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum. In August 2012, the Economic Ministers of ASEAN and Japan endorsed the ASEAN-Japan Ten Year Strategic Economic Roadmap, which will pave the way for a further strengthening of economic ties. Japan has also actively engaged and supported ASEAN on the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity.
16 So as we celebrate the 40th year of ASEAN-Japan friendship and cooperation this year, we look forward to a further broadening and deepening of engagement between ASEAN and Japan. With this in mind, I hope that the JSS will serve as a useful forum to generate ideas and discuss ways for both sides to collaborate more closely together, which will provide a base for fruitful discussions at the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit in December 2013. Singapore is happy to partner Japan to advance our common goals, including creating an open, inclusive, and ASEAN-centred regional architecture.
Conclusion
17 Many observers have predicted that the 21st Century will be an Asian Century given the good prospects for growth and development in the region. Nonetheless, to ensure that this promise bears fruit, we need to continue to strengthen cooperation, bridge differences through dialogue and put in place the right framework that will ensure regional peace and stability. To this end, Japan should continue to play an active and significant role in contributing to the region.
18 On that note, I would like to wish everyone a productive and enriching Symposium. Thank you.
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