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China forgives and invites PM Lee to attend its “Belt and Road” Forum

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5 years ago

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China held its first high-profile “Belt and Road” Forum in May 2017. Some 29 heads of state as well as representatives of 28 other countries were invited to attend the forum. The “Belt and Road” initiative is China’s attempt to revive ancient Silk Road trade routes and build infrastructure across the region.

However, conspicuously, PM Lee was missing among the 29 heads of state. He was not invited by China to attend the forum at the time, despite the many good ties between Singapore and China nurtured by Singapore’s founding PM Lee Kuan Yew over the many years.

The Singapore delegation was led by minister Lawrence Wong. In an interview with the media, Wong revealed that the invitations were decided by China. It was the first official acknowledgement that PM Lee was not invited. In contrast, China invited Malaysia’s PM, Indonesia’s and Philippines’ Presidents. When Hong Kong media SCMP asked about the matter, PM Lee stayed silent. SCMP reported, “Lee’s office did not respond to (SCMP) This Week in Asia’s queries on the matter.”

Even heads of state of smaller nations with less-established diplomatic ties with Beijing, like Fiji, Chile, Greece and Hungary, were at the forum.

Foreign policy experts at the time noted that China’s snubbing of PM Lee could be due to the spats that had occurred between Singapore and China.

Spats between Singapore and China

On 2 Aug 2016, then US President Obama hosted a White House state dinner in honour of PM Lee. During his toast, PM Lee praised President Obama and his decision to “re-balance” Asia Pacific, saying that Obama’s decision “has won America new friends and strengthened old partnerships, including with Singapore”.

Two days later on 4 Aug, China immediately issued a response through their Chinese Communist Party controlled Global Times in an opinion piece. The Chinese cautioned PM Lee in its article.

“Lee Hsien Loong addressed Obama as the American ‘first Pacific President’. Such flattery given to Obama directly does not concern us,” the article said. “The key is he praised the American strategy to ‘re-balance Asia-Pacific’ and publicized that all Southeast Asian countries welcome such American ‘balancing’. Because the ‘re-balance Asia-Pacific’ strategy is pointed at China to a large extent, Lee Hsien Loong is clearly taking side already.”

“With regard to the difficult position Singapore is in, China, on one hand, may have to be broad-minded. Let us use big country way to resolve problems between China and US. And with regard to Singapore, this ‘little red dot’ which sometimes is forced to look up to US, we do not need to overly fuss about it,” it added.

“But on the other hand, our tolerance also should have a limit. Singapore should not push it. It cannot play the role of taking the initiative to help US and South East Asian countries to go against China over South China Sea matters. It cannot help American ‘re-balancing Asia-Pacific’ strategy, which is directed at China’s internal affairs, by ‘adding oil and vinegar’, thereby enabling US to provide an excuse to suppress China’s strategic space as well as providing support to US.”

“Singapore can go and please the Americans, but it needs to do their utmost to avoid harming China’s interests. It needs to be clear and open about its latter attitude,” it cautioned. Singapore’s balancing act should be to help China and US to avoid confrontation as its main objective, and not taking side so as to increase the mistrust between China and US, it added. Singapore clearly has failed to do this by a long shot, it said. The article gave the example of Singapore allowing US to deploy its P-8 reconnaissance aircraft to Singapore, which from the view of the Chinese, increases the tension in South China Sea. “Singapore needs more wisdom,” it concluded.

Then in Sep 2016 after a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, China was visibly upset with Singapore’s deemed “interference” of its South China Sea disputes with other ASEAN countries. There was a public exchange of words between Stanley Loh, the Singaporean envoy in Beijing, and Global Times with regard to Singapore’s position on the South China Sea dispute at the summit. Singapore has no claims on any of the South China Sea islands in the dispute.

Thereafter, bilateral ties hit a low in Nov 2016 after Hong Kong customs seized 9 Singapore infantry carrier vehicles en route from exercises in Taiwan to Singapore, citing a breach of local laws on the shipment of strategic commodities. The vehicles were returned to Singapore two months later, however.

China angry with PM Lee even before he was PM

Xue Li, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences think tank, said at the time that China’s decision not to invite the Singaporean leader reflected a growing belief in Beijing that Singapore sought only economic benefits from China, while “relying on the US for security”. He added, “China is gradually recognising this and therefore doesn’t really care if the Singapore PM attended or not.”

“What we can deduce is that China is laying its unhappiness over these issues with the Singaporean head of government, who happens to be Lee Hsien Loong,” said Chong Ja Ian, a Chinese foreign policy expert at NUS.

Singaporean officials, however, tried to shrug off talk of any diplomatic rift between Singapore and China.

The 2016 incidents weren’t the first that PM Lee angered China. In fact, even before he became the PM, he had already angered China.

Months before taking over as PM in August 2004, he triggered a furious reaction from China after he made a private visit to Taiwan and offered to mediate between the leaders of the self-governing island and Beijing, according to SCMP. China, which considers Taiwan a renegade province, portrayed the gesture as an interference in domestic affairs and temporarily suspended high-level diplomatic exchanges.

China forgives PM Lee

In any case, China seems to have forgiven PM Lee, probably after Singapore quickly entered a deal with China in Sep 2017 with regard to its “Belt and Road” initiative, 4 months after PM Lee was snubbed by China by not inviting him to the first “Belt and Road” Forum in May 2017.

Next week, China will play host to nearly 40 heads of state and government at its second “Belt and Road” Forum (25 to 27 Apr). It is expected to produce more deals for companies and banks involved in the Silk Road mega-project.

All 10 ASEAN leaders, including PM Lee this time, will take part in a high-level summit at Beijing’s National Convention Centre and a leaders’ roundtable at Yanqi Lake in the suburb of Huairou.

The other 27 leaders will include Russian President Vladimir Putin; Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz; Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras; Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban; Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

In addition, close to 5,000 participants from over 150 countries and 90 international organisations such as the United Nations, World Bank and International Monetary Fund will also be at the forum.

Based on figures released last week, the total trade volume between China and Belt and Road participating countries exceeded US$6 trillion (S$8.1 trillion) from 2013 to last year, while China has so far chalked up US$80 billion in direct foreign investment in these countries.

China also said it has inked 173 deals with 125 countries and 29 international organisations.

It’s a good thing that China is no longer angry with PM Lee and has forgiven him, for if he had been barred from going to the second “Belt and Road” Forum again, he would have become the laughing stock in the world especially with the other government leaders at the forum talking about his non-appearance.

 

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TJC issued 3rd POFMA order under Minister K Shanmugam for alleged falsehoods

The Transformative Justice Collective (TJC) was issued its third POFMA correction order on 5 October 2024 under the direction of Minister K Shanmugam for alleged falsehoods about death penalty processes. TJC has rejected the government’s claims, describing POFMA as a tool to suppress dissent.

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1 day ago

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6 October 2024

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The Transformative Justice Collective (TJC), an advocacy group opposed to the death penalty, was issued its third Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) correction direction on 5 October 2024.

The correction was ordered by Minister for Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, following TJC’s publication of what the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) alleges to be false information regarding Singapore’s death row procedures and the prosecution of drug trafficking cases.

These statements were made on TJC’s website and across its social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter).

In addition to TJC, civil activist Kokila Annamalai was also issued a correction direction by the minister over posts she made on Facebook and X between 4 and 5 October 2024.

According to MHA, these posts echoed similar views on the death penalty and the legal procedures for drug-related offences, and contained statements that the ministry claims are false concerning the treatment of death row prisoners and the state’s legal responsibilities in drug trafficking cases.

MHA stated that the posts suggested the government schedules and stays executions arbitrarily, without due regard to legal processes, and that the state does not bear the burden of proving drug trafficking charges.

However, these alleged falsehoods are contested by MHA, which maintains that the government strictly follows legal procedures, scheduling executions only after all legal avenues have been exhausted, and that the state always carries the burden of proof in such cases.

In its official release, MHA emphasised, “The prosecution always bears the legal burden of proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and this applies to all criminal offences, including drug trafficking.”

It also pointed to an article on the government fact-checking site Factually to provide further clarification on the issues raised.

As a result of these allegations, both TJC and Annamalai are now required to post correction notices. TJC must display these corrections on its website and social media platforms, while Annamalai is required to carry similar notices on her Facebook and X posts.

TikTok has also been issued a targeted correction direction, requiring the platform to communicate the correction to all Singapore-based users who viewed the related TJC post.

In a statement following the issuance of the correction direction, TJC strongly rejected the government’s claims. The group criticised the POFMA law, calling it a “political weapon used to crush dissent,” and argued that the order was more about the exercise of state power than the pursuit of truth. “We have put up the Correction Directions not because we accept any of what the government asserts, but because of the grossly unjust terms of the POFMA law,” TJC stated.

TJC further argued that the government’s control over Singapore’s media landscape enables it to push pro-death penalty views without opposition. The group also stated that it would not engage in prolonged legal battles over the POFMA correction orders, opting to focus on its abolitionist work instead.

This marks the third time TJC has been subject to a POFMA correction direction in recent months.

The group was previously issued two orders in August 2024 for making similar statements concerning death row prisoners.

In its latest statement, MHA noted that despite being corrected previously, TJC had repeated what the ministry views as falsehoods.

MHA also criticised TJC for presenting the perspective of a convicted drug trafficker without acknowledging the harm caused to victims of drug abuse.

Annamalai, a prominent civil rights activist, is also known for her involvement in various social justice campaigns. She was charged in June 2024 for her participation in a pro-Palestinian procession near the Istana. Her posts, now subject to correction, contained information similar to those presented by TJC regarding death penalty procedures and drug-related cases.

POFMA, which was introduced in 2019, allows the government to issue correction directions when it deems falsehoods are being spread online.

Critics of the law argue that it can be used to suppress dissent, while the government asserts that it is a necessary tool for combating misinformation. The law has been frequently invoked against opposition politicians and activists.

As of October 2024, Minister K Shanmugam has issued 17 POFMA directions, more than any other minister. Shanmugam, who was instrumental in introducing POFMA, is followed by National Development Minister Desmond Lee, who has issued 10 POFMA directions.

Major media outlets, including The Straits Times, Channel News Asia, and Mothership, have covered the POFMA directions. However, as of the time of writing, none have included TJC’s response rejecting the government’s allegations.

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Hotel Properties Limited suspends trading ahead of Ong Beng Seng’s court hearing

Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has halted trading ahead of his court appearance today (4 October). The announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at about 7.45am, citing a pending release of an announcement. Mr Ong faces one charge of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts and another charge of obstruction of justice. He is due in court at 2.30pm.

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3 days ago

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4 October 2024

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SINGAPORE: Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), the property and hotel developer co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has requested a trading halt ahead of the Singapore tycoon’s scheduled court appearance today (4 October) afternoon.

This announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at approximately 7.45am, stating that the halt was due to a pending release of an announcement.

Mr Ong, who serves as HPL’s managing director and controlling shareholder, faces one charge under Section 165, accused of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts, as well as one charge of obstruction of justice.

He is set to appear in court at 2.30pm on 4 October.

Ong’s charges stem from his involvement in a high-profile corruption case linked to former Singaporean transport minister S Iswaran.

The 80-year-old businessman was named in Iswaran’s initial graft charges earlier this year.

These charges alleged that Iswaran had corruptly received valuable gifts from Ong, including tickets to the 2022 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, flights, and a hotel stay in Doha.

These gifts were allegedly provided to advance Ong’s business interests, particularly in securing contracts with the Singapore Tourism Board for the Singapore GP and the ABBA Voyage virtual concert.

Although Iswaran no longer faces the original corruption charges, the prosecution amended them to lesser charges under Section 165.

Iswaran pleaded guilty on 24 September, 2024, to four counts under this section, which covered over S$400,000 worth of gifts, including flight tickets, sports event access, and luxury items like whisky and wines.

Additionally, he faced one count of obstructing justice for repaying Ong for a Doha-Singapore flight shortly before the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) became involved.

On 3 October, Iswaran was sentenced to one year in jail by presiding judge Justice Vincent Hoong.

The prosecution had sought a sentence of six to seven months for all charges, while the defence had asked for a significantly reduced sentence of no more than eight weeks.

Ong, a Malaysian national based in Singapore, was arrested by CPIB in July 2023 and released on bail shortly thereafter. Although no charges were initially filed against him, Ong’s involvement in the case intensified following Iswaran’s guilty plea.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) had earlier indicated that it would soon make a decision regarding Ong’s legal standing, which has now led to the current charges.

According to the statement of facts read during Iswaran’s conviction, Ong’s case came to light as part of a broader investigation into his associates, which revealed Iswaran’s use of Ong’s private jet for a flight from Singapore to Doha in December 2022.

CPIB investigators uncovered the flight manifest and seized the document.

Upon learning that the flight records had been obtained, Ong contacted Iswaran, advising him to arrange for Singapore GP to bill him for the flight.

Iswaran subsequently paid Singapore GP S$5,700 for the Doha-Singapore business class flight in May 2023, forming the basis of his obstruction of justice charge.

Mr Ong is recognised as the figure who brought Formula One to Singapore in 2008, marking the first night race in the sport’s history.

He holds the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix. Iswaran was the chairman of the F1 steering committee and acted as the chief negotiator with Singapore GP on business matters concerning the race.

 

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