LEE KUAN-YEW’S VISION OF EAST ASIA

Mr. Lee was the Prime Minister (1959-1990) and regarded as the Father of modern Singapore. He was the leader of Southeast Asia’s most celebrated success story – the Republic of Singapore. I personally regard him as one of Southeast Asia's greatest leaders.

Here’s an excerpt from Kyodo News interview with the great Lee Kuan Yew in 12 Dec 2005 about his vision of our region; great things we learn from one of the world's greatest minds...


"China, India and Southeast Asia will grow faster than NAFTA or the EU, in the next 50 years."

"The gap between Asia versus Europe and America will close. By 2050, the center of gravity will be in Asia, maybe sooner. It will be the biggest single economic region in the world."

"Such an economic bloc would be so compelling that Japan and China should be willing to put aside their deep-seated antagonism over the interpretation of Japan's military aggression in China before and during World War II and jump onto the bandwagon. In the end it does not depend upon whether China and Japan agree or do not agree -- it depends upon the economic advantage of an East Asian trading community. Once it is formed, does China want to stay out? Does Japan want to be left out?"

"I believe this process is driven not by the political considerations alone, but more by economic imperatives. It's driven by globalization that results from technological advances, therefore, it makes sense for the ASEAN region to come together."

"So I see a growing network of FTAs -- bilateral, multilateral. Eventually they will link up East and South Asia through their ties with Southeast Asia."

"I believe the key countries in Asia will come together economically, though not politically. It is not easy to have an East Asia Community like the European Community. It would take many decades because all the countries are at different levels of growth."

He said that China and India together are expected to account for 40 percent of the world's economy in 40 years, regaining their former economic glory of two centuries ago when they also dominated the world economy because of their large populations. In particular, China will dwarf Japan economically and emerge as the political leader in Asia by 2030.


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