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The ease of doing business and operating among foreign corporations and organizations via Singapore has emboldened Chinese companies and entities to use Singapore to reach out to others in the region and beyond.
“From this perspective, efforts have been made to cultivate relevant opinion makers and policy people. The idea is to have a China-friendly constituency.”
“In this endeavour, the pool of Chinese expatriates or naturalized Singapore citizens of Chinese origin is important. Initially, cultivation efforts revolved around business and some ancestry ties. This has now become more obvious and those inside this circle have become bolder and outgoing.”
“Pro-China and anti-America sentiments among Singaporean Chinese, especially those aged 70 and over, have become more pronounced, especially since Xi Jinping’s appeal to all ethnic Chinese including those overseas to love and be loyal to China.”
“Non-Chinese racial groups in Singapore have begun to react to this brazen display of Chinese chauvinism, albeit mostly private resentment thus far. This will grow out of hand if not contained. Imagine how our Chinese and Indians would react if there is an outbreak of hostilities between China and India?”
Chinese influence in Singapore has been a longstanding issue, with the Republic being the only country outside of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan with a majority ethnic Chinese population. Many social institutions from clan associations to some business advocacy groups have maintained ties with their mainland counterparts.
Chan’s participation in last year’s session of top advisory body Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, or CPPCC, was one of the key reasons he had caught the attention of the authorities.
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weehingthong 