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The sweeping Trump tariffs are a signal that a new world order is taking shape and one that may affect wages and jobs in Singapore. Education Minister Chan Chun Sing tells Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards what the government plans to do and why he doesn't lose sleep over things he cannot control.
(L-R) Hosts Otelli Edwards and Steven Chia with Education Minister Chan Chun Sing (Photo: CNA/Tiffany Ang)
Here is an excerpt from the conversation:
Steven Chia, host:
So what is Singapore going to do? Because now we know we're in this situation, and (President Donald Trump) hasn't played by the rules, but we are still choosing to play by the rules.
Mr Chan Chun Sing, Education Minister:
The first thing, and I think the most important thing for us to do, is to stay calm ... There's a very important reason why we need to stay calm.
The second thing is then that we make sure that we must have the strongest team possible. Because if one day, if we have to go and negotiate a new arrangement with any parties, people will only take us seriously if they believe that we are people whom they can trust, people who can deliver based on what we say. So having a strong and competent team to fly the Singapore flag is very important.
But having said that, I think there are other things that we must continue doing. For example, what has made Singapore so attractive in the past? And that's because we play by the rules. We are a place whereby you can mobilise your capital, aggregate talent, and protect your intellectual property.
We have the rule of law. We provide a stable environment for investors. And this, I think even in a topsy-turvy world, will still command a premium. And you can argue that perhaps the premium is even more significant.
Otelli Edwards, host:
We've had this long-standing policy where we don't take sides. We try to be friends with everybody. But as this goes on, would Singapore have to come to a point where we (are forced) to take sides?
Mr Chan:
No. In fact, that is not the correct conclusion.
The point about making friends remains. We must continue to make friends and as many friends as we can. And we must always bear in mind that even if the US and the Chinese economies, even if they combine, depending on how you count, they may form one-third or so (of) the global GDP. There's the other two-thirds of the world that are still out there that we need to trade with, and we need to learn to deal with and thrive together.
A new episode of Deep Dive drops every Friday. Follow the podcast on Apple, Spotify or melisten for the latest updates.
Have a great topic for us? Drop the team an email at cnapodcasts [at] mediacorp.com.sg
Source: CNA/jj
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FAST
The sweeping Trump tariffs are a signal that a new world order is taking shape and one that may affect wages and jobs in Singapore. Education Minister Chan Chun Sing tells Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards what the government plans to do and why he doesn't lose sleep over things he cannot control.
(L-R) Hosts Otelli Edwards and Steven Chia with Education Minister Chan Chun Sing (Photo: CNA/Tiffany Ang)
Here is an excerpt from the conversation:
Steven Chia, host:
So what is Singapore going to do? Because now we know we're in this situation, and (President Donald Trump) hasn't played by the rules, but we are still choosing to play by the rules.
Mr Chan Chun Sing, Education Minister:
The first thing, and I think the most important thing for us to do, is to stay calm ... There's a very important reason why we need to stay calm.
The second thing is then that we make sure that we must have the strongest team possible. Because if one day, if we have to go and negotiate a new arrangement with any parties, people will only take us seriously if they believe that we are people whom they can trust, people who can deliver based on what we say. So having a strong and competent team to fly the Singapore flag is very important.
But having said that, I think there are other things that we must continue doing. For example, what has made Singapore so attractive in the past? And that's because we play by the rules. We are a place whereby you can mobilise your capital, aggregate talent, and protect your intellectual property.
We have the rule of law. We provide a stable environment for investors. And this, I think even in a topsy-turvy world, will still command a premium. And you can argue that perhaps the premium is even more significant.
Otelli Edwards, host:
We've had this long-standing policy where we don't take sides. We try to be friends with everybody. But as this goes on, would Singapore have to come to a point where we (are forced) to take sides?
Mr Chan:
No. In fact, that is not the correct conclusion.
The point about making friends remains. We must continue to make friends and as many friends as we can. And we must always bear in mind that even if the US and the Chinese economies, even if they combine, depending on how you count, they may form one-third or so (of) the global GDP. There's the other two-thirds of the world that are still out there that we need to trade with, and we need to learn to deal with and thrive together.
A new episode of Deep Dive drops every Friday. Follow the podcast on Apple, Spotify or melisten for the latest updates.
Have a great topic for us? Drop the team an email at cnapodcasts [at] mediacorp.com.sg
Source: CNA/jj
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