SM Teo Chee Hean at the launch of ThinkChina

“Zaobao and ThinkChina –
An Insider with an Outsider’s Perspective on China”

My Parliamentary colleagues,
Ms Sun Xueling, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development; and
Ms Tin Pei Ling, CEO of Business China;
Mr Anthony Tan, Deputy CEO of Singapore Press Holdings;
Ms Lee Huay Leng, Head of Chinese Media Group, SPH
Professor Wang Gungwu
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

I am pleased to join you today for the launch of ThinkChina, Lianhe Zaobao’s new English language online magazine. I would like to congratulate SPH for introducing this useful and timely publication.

In any country, responsible media plays a crucial role in building a well-informed and cohesive citizenry. Editors provide guidance on which issues and stories are newsworthy. Opinion writers and journalists carry thought-pieces and news reports on them, and these shape public awareness and perception. In Singapore, we are fortunate to have professional and credible media that provides good coverage of not just domestic events but also international affairs. Our local media report comprehensively on news in our region, particularly Southeast Asia and East Asia, and also about countries beyond, such as America and Europe. This has enabled our citizens to appreciate the currents that are shaping the world, how they affect us, and what it takes for us to thrive as a nation. This is especially important for Singapore, given our unique circumstances as a city state located in the middle of Southeast Asia - at the cross-roads where major powers meet; air and sea routes converge; and through which telecommunications and financial transactions flow.

In today’s interconnected world, the need for responsible and objective reporting has become more important than ever. Events elsewhere, especially in our strategic and economic partners, quickly translate into real impacts on our lives. With new technologies, your readers can be pushed “news” and “views” from a wide range of sources. This has made it easier for us to keep informed, with up-to-the-minute news and updates, but it also allows others to propagate misinformation, fake news and half-truths. New media platforms have sparked the growth of citizenship journalism, which can be pervasive and persuasive, but are not subjected to the same editorial standards of veracity and fact checking, accountability and attribution, that are the hallmarks of high quality traditional media.

Discerning consumers look for news and analysis that are informed, accurate and trustworthy, without a hidden agenda or vested interests. They also want news and analysis that go beyond the 24-hour news cycle – which often excels at telling us what is going on, but not why, what it means, and what we can expect next. They want reports that cut to the core of the issue, and that can help provide them a framework to understand key global developments in a deep, incisive and accessible way. Upholding the highest standards of journalism – veracity, timeliness, outreach and insight - remain the strongest value proposition for our local media like Zaobao to maintain your competitive advantage and relevance amidst the ongoing media revolution.

One important subject that has captured the attention of global readers is the rise of China, which represents one of the most fundamental shifts in geopolitics and the world economy in the past few decades. With a population of 1.4 billion, China is the world’s second largest economy, and has been the largest single contributor to world growth since 2008. It has switched from being a net importer to net exporter of capital since 2014. A better appreciation of China, its history, its culture, its driving forces, ambitions and goals, will help us understand what trajectory China will take.

China is at an important juncture in terms of its political development and economic transformation. Domestically, China is grappling with social challenges such as rural-urban income inequality, an ageing population and environmental degradation. Economically, China is shifting from being the export-driven, low-cost manufacturing base for the world, to creating new services and products for its own growing middle-class which it hopes to export overseas, and which in some areas China is a world leader or has the aspiration to be so.

Internationally, China faces growing expectations to step up and play a greater role in addressing global issues such as climate change, nuclear proliferation and terrorism. China itself now desires to be a player in framing the terms on which countries interact with one another. The ongoing tensions between the US and China are not just about trade, but about global influence and China’s place in the new international order. How this story continues to unfold will have enormous implications for Singapore, Asia and the world.

However, China’s complexity and diversity makes it a challenging country to define and report on. The information and analysis we receive about it are often incomplete, and even contradictory. What we read can also be shaped by the ideological starting points of the writers, and what the writers wish will happen. In Singapore, we cannot afford that. We have to take the world as it is and face that reality.

I believe that Zaobao and ThinkChina are well positioned to bridge this gap. Over the years, Zaobao has established a reputation of being a keen observer of China. Your stories, analyses and commentaries contain insights and reflections that can only come from a genuine appreciation of China’s history, culture, values and political system, as well as the deeper forces at work in China and Northeast Asia. At the same time, you have preserved a distinctly Singapore perspective in your reporting and commentaries, close enough to feel the pulse inside China, but detached enough to avoid viewing developments from an ideological viewpoint. This is what differentiates Singapore media from your counterparts in Greater China and the Western world – you are an “insider” with an “outsider’s perspective”. This makes Zaobao’s stories insightful and worth reading, not just to Singaporeans but many foreign readers, including those in China. This is why Zaobao’s online content has consistently enjoyed a large following in China.

A few years ago, when SPH’s Chinese Media Group told me of your plan to translate some of your China-related articles into English for publication, I thought it would be a good idea. I am glad this plan has now come to fruition. With the launch of ThinkChina, readers who are unfamiliar with Chinese will now be able to read Zaobao’s articles in English. But you have taken this initial idea a very significant step further. ThinkChina will also feature articles by academics from the East Asian Institute, as well as university academics and other experts on China. Their contributions will add deeper insights, perspectives and diversity to the publication.

I extend my best wishes to Zaobao and the ThinkChina team on your new venture! I am confident that your pieces will provide new insights to readers who are interested in China’s long-term development, and promote better understanding of Singapore, China and our region. Thank you very much and I wish you all the best.Speech by Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, Teo Chee Hean, at the launch of Think China on 24 September 2019.