On the evening of May 15, local time, Lawrence Wong was sworn in as the fourth Prime Minister of Singapore at the Presidential Palace of Singapore, succeeding Lee Hsien Loong. According to Singaporean media, the country will usher in the era of "4G" (fourth-generation leadership team).
"Unlike several of his predecessors, Lawrence Wong was born in a 'grassroots family' and belongs to the elite of the grassroots." Zhang Yihui, a former diplomat at the Chinese Embassy in Singapore and an expert on international issues at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in an exclusive interview with Chinanews.com. "Born into a civilian family, Lawrence Wong is more resonant with ordinary people, but as Singapore's prime minister, he will still face a huge test."
"At that time, I was invited to enter politics, and I said yes...... But I never thought I would be invited to be Singapore's next Prime Minister in the future. "How did Lawrence Wong, who once confided in an interview, become the Prime Minister of Singapore step by step? Under the "magnifying glass" observation of the Singaporean people and the international community, what kind of report card will he hand over in his governance?
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"An elite from a 'grassroots family'"
Data map: Huang Xuncai. Photo by China News Service reporter Li Yang
In 1972, Lawrence Wong was born in Singapore to an ordinary family.
Born to Hainan, China, Lawrence Wong moved to Malaysia with his family when he was young, settled in Singapore as an adult, and worked as a salesperson before retiring. His mother is a local primary school teacher in Singapore and has been teaching at the nearby Hagrid Boys' School for more than 35 years. Lawrence Wong also has an older brother and a family of four who live in an HDB flat in the Marine Parade community.
"When I was studying in my mother's class, I thought I would be given preferential treatment, so I deliberately fooled my homework. Unexpectedly, my mother actually allowed herself to stand in public, and from then on, she decided that she must be diligent. Recalling his childhood experience, Huang Xuncai said.
Despite his humble background, Lawrence Wong won a scholarship from the Singapore Public Service Commission to study economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He then went on to pursue a master's degree in economics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
The analysis points out that the Singapore Public Service Commission Scholarship is an important starting point for the ruling party to recruit talents. After graduation, scholarship recipients are required to join the public service field to serve the country and the people. This means that although Huang Xuncai is not from a traditional elite family in Singapore, his excellent academic performance made him "favored by the government very early".
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"Those who will shed tears for Singaporeans,
Can be trusted"
In 1997, Lawrence Wong returned to Singapore and joined the Ministry of Trade and Industry as an economist and began his civil service career.
Two years later, Lawrence Wong joined Singapore's Ministry of Finance, where he worked for four years. During this period, he helped Singapore improve the government's fiscal and budgetary policies and processes, and also updated the security rules related to the national treasury. He also assisted then-Finance Minister Lee Hsien Loong in preparing his first Budget, laying the groundwork for his future upward trajectory.
In addition to his busy schedule, Lawrence Wong completed a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University in 2003.
Data map: Lee Hsien Loong.
In 2004, when Lee Hsien Loong became Singapore's third prime minister, he appointed Lawrence Wong as his chief private secretary. After that, Lawrence Wong took the helm of the Energy Market Authority, becoming one of the youngest civil servants at the level of Director-General at the time. During his tenure, he implemented a number of initiatives to ensure energy sustainability in Singapore, including leading electric vehicle testing and innovative projects such as smart grids.
In 2011, with Lee Hsien Loong's encouragement, Lawrence Wong ran as a member of the People's Action Party (PAP) in the Singapore parliamentary elections and became a member of the West Coast GRC, officially starting his political career.
Since then, Huang Xuncai's career has been climbing. In his first year in politics, he was appointed Minister of Defence and Minister of Education, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Subsequently, he served as Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, where he promoted the nomination of the Singapore Botanic Gardens as the country's first World Heritage Site.
Over the past decade, Mr Wong has been in charge of key ministries such as the Ministry of National Development, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and the Ministry of Communications and Information.
On 25 March 2020, Lawrence Wong led the Inter-departmental Working Group on Combating the Pandemic and delivered a speech in Parliament to thank frontline workers for their sacrifices during the height of the pandemic.
"Words can't express our ......" In that speech, Huang Xuncai suddenly paused halfway and choked up for a while. He then took off his glasses in an effort to calm down. A minute later, he finished reading the last sentence with a little apology, "Words are not enough to express our gratitude to the people on the front line, but I still want to say thank you." With that, applause resounded in the room.
The 48-year-old Wong choked up and wept in public, touching many Singaporeans. A netizen left a message, "The person who will shed tears for Singaporeans is the one who can be trusted." ”
"Lawrence Wong has been a key figure in Singapore's smooth response to the pandemic. In addition, he is energetic and energetic, having worked in most government departments. These performances helped him complete the 'quadruple jump' from Minister of State to Prime Minister in just four years. Teo said the PAP needs a capable, good-looking and open-minded person to be the future prime minister.
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"Bookworm, guitarist, and dog lover"
"Bookworm, guitarist and dog lover" – this is how Lawrence Wong describes himself on his social media page.
Wearing a pair of rimless glasses, his eyes will narrow into two slits when he laughs, and he is not tall, Huang Xuncai is not conspicuous in the crowd. But when it comes to music and pets, he becomes very active as a whole person.
"Huang Xuncai is a returnee, extroverted, likes to sing and play the guitar, and belongs to both internal and external training." Zhang Yihui recalled, "When I listened to his speech, I felt that he had a lot of body language, rich expressions, and was infectious, like a 'boy next door', who could quickly mingle with the people." ”
When he was eight years old, his father gave Huang Xuncai his first guitar. Since then, he has been borrowing guitar books from the community library every weekend to study on his own. When he went to study in the United States, he also carried a guitar in his luggage. When he was in college, Wong played guitar with his roommates, and also went to the streets to "perform" together, playing jazz and rock songs.
Data map: Huang Xuncai.
In diplomatic settings, Wong's guitar talent has also come in handy. In 2022, Lawrence Wong played guitar with Malaysia's then Finance Minister Zafrul, with Lawrence using a Malaysian-made guitar and Zafrul playing a Singapore-made guitar.
In addition, Wong can ride a motorcycle, a skill rarely seen among his colleagues. In 2022, Lawrence Wong wore a black motorcyclist jacket to participate in a charity fundraising ride.
He also had a golden hound named "Summer". According to Wong, dogs are "passionate" pets, and he often posts photos and videos of interactions with pets.
Analysts say Mr. Wong has extended his reach to social media platforms in a simple and effortless way to connect with younger generations, analysts said.
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"Small Country, Big Diplomacy"
What are the topics of the "4G" team?
In recent years, Singapore has faced a series of domestic and international challenges – a volatile geopolitical environment, an aging population in the country, a widening gap between the rich and the poor, and rising prices.
After Lawrence Wong takes over, the biggest challenge is the Singapore general election to be held in November 2025 at the latest.
Zhang Yihui pointed out to Chinanews that in the 2020 Singapore general election, the People's Action Party won 61.2% of the vote, although it still has an absolute advantage, but the vote rate has declined, which is a "very dangerous signal". How to lead the People's Action Party, which has been in power for 65 years, to retain its position in the general election is one of the important issues facing Lawrence Wong.
On the other hand, "Singapore's inflation is now more serious, the government is going to increase the consumption tax, Singapore's economic growth in 2023 is only 1.2%, how to effectively curb inflation and promote economic development is an important task for him in China." Zhang Yihui said.
Zhang Yihui also pointed out that Singapore is also facing the dual risks of an aging population and a low fertility rate. In 2023, Singapore's fertility rate fell to an all-time low of 0.97. "How to take measures to mitigate the adverse effects of low fertility and an aging population on society and the economy are also some of the issues that Huang Xuncai needs to deal with."
Data map: Huang Xuncai.
In terms of diplomacy, Zhang Yihui said in an interview with Chinanews that Singapore is a small country and has always been full of "crisis awareness". There is a proverb circulating in Singapore's diplomatic circles that "when elephants fight, the grass suffers", a metaphor for the disastrous effects that great power competition can have on smaller countries. Singapore does not want to be "stepped on", so it has always adhered to the principle of balanced diplomacy that focuses on its own interests and "does not choose sides".
"Lawrence Wong became deputy prime minister in 2022, and the two-year 'apprenticeship' is not a long time. Lee Hsien Loong served as deputy prime minister for 14 years. "In contrast, Lawrence Wong is relatively inexperienced in handling foreign affairs, and his ability to safeguard Singapore's interests and stability in the context of geopolitical escalation will be tested." ”
"After Huang Xuncai 'takes over', he should still maintain a consistent policy of balancing major powers in the future." Zhang Yihui said. On the one hand, Singapore will maintain political, economic and security ties with Western countries, and on the other hand, it will strengthen economic cooperation with emerging countries such as China and Brazil.
In 2023, Lawrence Wong visited China twice. During a trip to China in December of that year, Mr. Wong said in an interview, "Never bet on China's decline...... Because China's economy is huge, it has many advantages in different fields such as advanced manufacturing, green economy, etc., and there is such a huge market. According to Wong, China remains an economy that offers great opportunities for bilateral cooperation between Singapore and China.
Source: China News Network