On the 13th local time, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong submitted his resignation to the president, completing the mission of the third prime minister. Previously, at public events, he choked up twice.
On May 1, Lee Hsien Loong delivered his last speech as Prime Minister at the May Day Labor Rally, thanking all Singaporeans for their trust and support, and bowed with tears in his eyes.
The other was on November 5 last year, when Lee Hsien Loong gave a speech at the People's Action Party (PAP) conference, saying that he had "devoted almost all of his adult life to Singapore", and he was so choked up that he couldn't speak.
On the eve of leaving office, Lee Hsien Loong was interviewed by a number of media in Singapore, taking stock of his 20-year career as prime minister from the perspective of politics, economics and diplomacy, and also looking forward to Singapore's position in the future world pattern.
The following is an excerpt from the interview:
In the current complex external environment, how can Singapore's economy continue to create value and character?
Lee Hsien Loong: In the current world, in this era, what is most lacking between countries is mutual trust. In such an environment, Singapore stands out as a trusted partner.
Political stability is important. We can do so much because of our political stability. To build a new harbour in Tuas, or to build a new city in Paya Leba, or to build a southern waterfront in Singapore, it's going to take thirty or forty, fifty years. If the politics are unstable, there is simply no time to think about it, and there is no way to achieve it if you think about it. We've been able to do that so far. Moving forward, we must be able to maintain political stability, sustain the potential for a thriving economy, and create a better working and living environment for Singaporeans.
The Taiwan Strait crisis is a long-standing point of contention. Against this backdrop, please share your views on U.S.-China relations.
Lee Hsien Loong: The relationship between China and the United States was positive at first, and although there were problems, they basically cooperated with each other, but now the relationship between the two countries is full of disputes...... The tensions between the two countries, the fundamental contradictions in the national position and national interests are very deep. This is believed to last for a long time, more than 10 years, maybe 20 years or even longer. Fortunately, we have good relations with both China and the United States.
We have had good relations with China for quite some time. Singapore and China will work together to develop the Suzhou Industrial Park and the Tianjin Eco-City. In my 20 years as premier, we have also launched our third government-to-government cooperation project in Chongqing to promote connectivity. We have also signed an upgraded FTA with China. On the whole, our relationship with China is very cordial and friendly.
At the same time, we are friends with many other great powers. For example, one day, we received a phone call saying, "President Trump wants to meet with General Secretary Kim Jong-un of the Workers' Party of Korea, do you think he can meet in Singapore?" ”
When, we ask? The other party said next month. So we hurriedly arranged and held a meeting.
All we did was pour tea for the occasion, but it showed that both sides were okay with Singapore, that we weren't unkind to them, that they trusted us, not just in our policies, but in what we could do.
Nowadays, young people pay more attention to work-life balance, and there are also some lying flat people, what do you think?
Lee Hsien Loong: Finding a work-life balance is understandable and reasonable. But we have to stay competitive and maintain the expectations that employers or international companies expect from us.
Why were we able to attract investment before? Because of the low cost, people are willing to work hard and fight because the whole environment is good. But when it comes to work-life balance, it's not exactly the same as before.
From time to time, the trade union union organizes study tours to our neighboring countries, and the trade union leaders come back to tell me, which is an eye-opener. Because they are more hungry than we are, young, hardworking, and have good work skills. They may not have the highest level of education, but they are smart and can learn.
We don't want everyone to be 996, but don't "lie flat" or "roll in", because then you may not be able to stand up, and that's the end of it. Young people are generally willing to work. They also know that if you want to be better, then you have to work hard, because there is no such thing as a free lunch, you have to be willing to work.
You're very active online and like to share your jalan jalan, will you continue to run social media after stepping down as Prime Minister?
Lee Hsien Loong: I'm just a "little celebrity", compared to Internet celebrities, I can't see anything bigger.
Of course, I will continue to keep my social media account after I leave office, and I will continue to update my posts. I hope that the new leader, the new prime minister, will gradually build up their own fan base on social media. I'm sure he (Lawrence Wong) will do that, he doesn't necessarily go to photography very often, but his guitar skills are pretty good.
I'm also happy to take care of my granddaughters and watch them grow up. They are still young, but they are growing up very fast, and every time I see them, they have learned new things, they have used new words, they have asked new questions.
I'm sure my children used to go through this process when they were younger, but this was thirty or forty years ago, and I may have forgotten it now, or I was too young to notice it. Now I have a second opportunity to learn about the process of my child's growth, which is very satisfying.
Is there anything in particular you'd like to do when you leave office?
Lee Hsien Loong: I might take a photography course, or an AI course. In principle, I understand how computers work, and I understand what AI is, but I don't know how advanced AI can be generated from that basic operating principle. I've read some of the explanations, but I still don't understand them, so I'm going to go to class when I get the chance.
You can also read a little more. During his time in politics, there were not so many opportunities to absorb new knowledge, and the knowledge base was slowly emptied. Recently I saw the death of an old author, Qi Bangyuan, who was born in northeastern China and traveled thousands of miles before dying in her 100s. She wrote "The Great Temp River" when she was in her 90s, which is her life experience. I downloaded it and haven't had a chance to read it yet. I hope to have the opportunity to read this book after leaving office.
Can you sum it up, do you have any regrets or reluctance in your political career for so many years?
Lee Hsien Loong: I don't have any regrets, what should be done, we have done it, and it is not my responsibility for the results to be evaluated.
I find it comforting that Singapore is a shining "little red dot" today, where the country is rich and strong, the people live and work in peace and contentment, and everyone is proud to be Singaporeans. These are all created by everyone's efforts, thank you for your efforts and support.
Editor: Li Yu
Editor-in-charge: Zhang Yue