Singapore, Korea can collaborate more

Peter Tan Singaporean
Ambassador

Firstly, my warmest congratulations to Madam President-elect Park Geun-hye on her recent election victory!

Under the Park government, I look forward to more bilateral interactions.

She knows Singapore well, and is well-acquainted with many Singapore’s leaders, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and former Prime Ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong.

Singapore’s President Tony Tan, in his congratulatory message, has invited her to visit Singapore at an early opportunity. I hope she will take up the invitation in the near future to further her ties with Singapore.

Economic cooperation between Singapore and Korea has flourished over the years. Going forward, I hope that opportunities for economic collaboration can go beyond the bilateral realm.

Both our businesses possess skill sets that are complementary. We can capitalize on it to cooperate in third-country projects like the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City and the Guangzhou Knowledge City projects in China, the Batam, Bintan, Karimun Special Economic Zone in Indonesia, the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park in Vietnam and the Iskandar Malaysia project in Johor.

I have followed Park’s election policy platforms quite closely. As part of the economic democratization agenda, Park supports putting in place measures to ensure the growth of Korean small & medium enterprises (SMEs).

One way is to enhance the ability of the SMEs to internationalize and access global markets. I believe Singapore can be a good partner as well as an attractive destination for Korean SMEs to seek growth opportunities overseas.

Singapore today hosts more than 1,000 registered companies from ROK. We welcome more Korean companies, both large and small, to take advantage of Singapore’s pro-business environment and ideal location in Asia to connect to the region & grow their networks, develop & test out innovative solutions and tap on both the local and international talent residing in Singapore.

Beyond bilateral relations, the conditions are ripe for ROK to do more with ASEAN. ROK has long been a pioneer of community building in the region. In 1996, then President Kim Dae-jung proposed the setting up of an East Asia Vision Group (EAVG) to study the future of cooperation in East Asia.

The EAVG report, which was completed in 2001, proposed initiatives such as the establishment of the East Asia Free Trade Area (EAFTA).

President Lee Myung-bak’s “New Asia Initiative,” articulated in 2009, represented a vision that laid out ROK’s strategic engagement with Asia, in particular ASEAN, beyond its immediate neighbourhood.

The elevation of ASEAN-ROK relations from a “Comprehensive Cooperation Partnership” to a “Strategic Partnership” in 2010 reaffirmed ASEAN’s role as the platform on which any East Asian architecture must be elaborated.

Going forward, ASEAN offers a platform where Korea can contribute meaningfully to the tackling of global and regional challenges.

ASEAN is currently working toward the establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015. A key initiative toward regional integration is the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

I am sure that Korea can positively contribute to this initiative. ASEAN Connectivity is another area where there is potential to expand ASEAN-ROK cooperation.

The implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) presents win-win opportunities for both sides.

The Master Plan contains ten priority projects that cover infrastructure, energy, and ICT development. Such projects present real business opportunities for Korean companies.

A more connected and economically vibrant ASEAN will also provide a bigger market for ROK’s goods and services.

To support the implementation of the MPAC, Singapore has successfully co-organised a workshop on ASEAN Connectivity with the Korean Embassy in Singapore in October 2012 to raise awareness among the relevant stakeholders, including the private sector.

Singapore can be a partner for Korea in this initiative.

As the Singapore Ambassador to Korea, I look forward to working closely with Park’s administration to forge even closer relations between Singapore and Korea. Let me also wish her every success in leading Korea forward. <The Korea Times/Peter Tan>