Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the world should induct China into the global system and accommodate its legitimate concerns and interests.
“When I go to China, and sometimes, the confidence with which my hosts expound their views causes me to tell them, ‘You know, the Americans have a lot of problems. You can see all of the problems, but they have a lot of strengths, and sometimes you cannot see all of their strengths. And they are not going to disappear, and they will be there and formidable, I think, for a very long time to come.’
The event is organised by Business China, a non-profit organisation that forges links between Singapore and China. The fundamental issue, he said, is that both China and the world have not gotten used to the fact that China has grown enormously since it began opening up in 1978. SM Lee said the measures will help to boost confidence, but China’s economy is going to grow at a slower rate than the double-digit pace it once had.