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Opinion | Singapore and Hong Kong have much to gain by working together
- The two cities face similar challenges, including ageing populations, affordable housing, education, climate change and urban development
- Amid a healthy rivalry, there is also much to learn from each other, with many opportunities for regional cooperation including in the Greater Bay Area
Singapore and Hong Kong enjoy excellent and long-standing relations, underpinned by strong economic ties, people-to-people links and regular exchanges between our leaders and officials.
In a speech made in Hong Kong in 1968, three years after Singapore’s independence, the late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew said Singapore was indebted to Hong Kong for serving as an example of how a small and densely populated island with no natural resources could forge its survival.
Singapore was coming through a tumultuous decade, overcoming labour unrest, student demonstrations and political turmoil, and facing the imminent withdrawal of British forces which provided a security umbrella and accounted for over 20 per cent of our gross national product.
Over the years, Lee and other leaders made many more visits to Hong Kong, studying its development, and seeing Singapore and Hong Kong as pioneers in globalisation and catalysts of economic development in our respective regions.
Today, Hong Kong is a key trade and investment partner for Singapore and home to one of the largest overseas Singaporean communities, including Singapore’s only international school overseas.
These bear testament to Singapore’s confidence in the resilience of Hong Kong and its people, and our desire for the two cities to continue working closely together.