The Brave New World of Fat4

Singapore - A Second Class Country in China As Malaysia Shines

As newspapers around Malaysia champions the relatively lowly popular BN government visit to China, Singapore could not say the same for its PM visit to China. Najib had a rousing welcome by non other than premier Wen Jia Bao. Sime Darby scored a big project in China, apparently the biggest ever by a foreign company, eclipsing any western countries investments.

What does it tell? Is it because of the miscalculated visit by Lee Hsien Loong to Taiwan before he became PM even when China warned him severely not to do so? Or is it because China had never regard Singapore as a working partner even though Singapore has been saying so in their own government owned media.

It is an interesting time that we live in as people have forgotten their morale and even ethical mindset as long as they please China. Even Obama administration played down the anniversary of Tiananmen Square as Geithner went to China to assure China that US will protect China interests and that US do view China as a strategic partner in resolving the North Korea debacle.

Without any clear indication from China and no high level visit from China, it seems Singapore is a forgotten child. Malaysia on the other hand enjoys goodwill that its second PM, Tun Razak build when they were the first country in South East Asia to recognise China. Najib, the son of Tun Razak, carried on the goodwill with this current visit together with his mother.

Some commentators even suggest that Taiwan is enjoying better relationship with China than Singapore. This current visit by Najib saw many goodies handed out by the Chinese government which accord some of the highest level of respect to a foreign visitor.

Malaysia not only sets to develop a huge 700km square development project, China will lend money for some Malaysian infrastructure projects. China had set aside some financing with low interest rates for infrastructure projects for South East Asia to which Malaysia seems to be the one that would be enjoying most of the benefits.