How Lee Kuan Yew’s political legacies have rubbed off on China
Communist Party inspired by Singapore’s late leader, citing the city-state’s stability, clean government, smooth transitions of power and rule of law
Cary Huang 25 March 2015
China’s ruling Communist Party has indicated it will inherit some of Lee Kuan Yew’s political legacies, saying the late Singaporean leader’s thinking offers much to today’s China.
In an article to commemorate Lee, who died on Monday, People’s Daily yesterday summarised what it called his four major legacies with implications for China: maintaining social stability, achieving a smooth and orderly transition of political power, building a clean and uncorrupt government, and introducing the rule of law.
“Maintaining social stability and a harmonious environment for development is of critical importance,” the article in the party mouthpiece said.
China had been inspired by how Lee managed the smooth and orderly succession of power in the city-state since his retirement in 1990, it said.
“China and Singapore have observed the same rules as they fit China’s national condition and meet the requirement of the times,” the paper said, referring to the leadership transitions in both nations in a commentary headlined “How Lee Kuan Yew’s political legacy inspires China”.
Both nations have twice seen leadership transitions in the past two decades. Lee handed over premiership to his deputy Goh Chok Tong in 1990, completing the so-called transition of power from the first generation to the second. In 2004, Lee’s son Lee Hsien Loong succeeded Goh as prime minister as power moved to the third generation.
The Communist Party’s first smooth and orderly transition of power without a living strongman was from president Jiang Zemin to Hu Jintao at the 16th party congress in 2002. Power then changed from Hu to President Xi Jinping at the 18th party congress in 2012.
In communist-ruled China, chairman Mao Zedong is seen as the first generation leader, Deng Xiaoping the second, Jiang third, Hu fourth and Xi fifth.
The commentary said China shared Lee’s legacy of fighting graft among senior officials, which Lee called “netting big fish”- the equivalent of the “tigers” in Xi’s crackdown.
It said Lee’s legacy of the rule of law also inspired China to improve its legal system. The fourth plenum of the party’s Central Committee held last October focused on an agenda to introduce rule by law.
It said Lee’s legacy was to make Singapore citizens bear in mind the rule by law that China was trying to introduce.
All major state media yesterday gave prominent coverage to Lee’s death, with editorials and commentaries praising his achievement of transforming a small island with few resources into a world-class financial and trade centre.
State broadcaster CCTV devoted nearly half its midday news bulletin to reports on Lee’s death, while obituaries were splashed across the homepages of websites of all major media outlets.
Xinhua praised Lee for never deviating from his political beliefs and values despite facing “defamation and criticism from foreign media”.
China Daily quoted Jin Canrong , deputy dean of the School of International Relations at Renmin University, as saying Lee’s contribution to China was “sharing Singapore’s successful experience in governance”.
The China Internet Information Centre, a central-government-run news portal, said Lee’s accomplishments with Singapore convinced China that it, too, could become a strong and prosperous nation “by insisting on following its own path”.
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How Lee Kuan Yew’s political legacies have rubbed off on China
Communist Party inspired by Singapore’s late leader, citing the city-state’s stability, clean government, smooth transitions of power and rule of law
Cary Huang
25 March 2015
China’s ruling Communist Party has indicated it will inherit some of Lee Kuan Yew’s political legacies, saying the late Singaporean leader’s thinking offers much to today’s China.
In an article to commemorate Lee, who died on Monday, People’s Daily yesterday summarised what it called his four major legacies with implications for China: maintaining social stability, achieving a smooth and orderly transition of political power, building a clean and uncorrupt government, and introducing the rule of law.
“Maintaining social stability and a harmonious environment for development is of critical importance,” the article in the party mouthpiece said.
China had been inspired by how Lee managed the smooth and orderly succession of power in the city-state since his retirement in 1990, it said.
“China and Singapore have observed the same rules as they fit China’s national condition and meet the requirement of the times,” the paper said, referring to the leadership transitions in both nations in a commentary headlined “How Lee Kuan Yew’s political legacy inspires China”.
Both nations have twice seen leadership transitions in the past two decades. Lee handed over premiership to his deputy Goh Chok Tong in 1990, completing the so-called transition of power from the first generation to the second. In 2004, Lee’s son Lee Hsien Loong succeeded Goh as prime minister as power moved to the third generation.
The Communist Party’s first smooth and orderly transition of power without a living strongman was from president Jiang Zemin to Hu Jintao at the 16th party congress in 2002. Power then changed from Hu to President Xi Jinping at the 18th party congress in 2012.
In communist-ruled China, chairman Mao Zedong is seen as the first generation leader, Deng Xiaoping the second, Jiang third, Hu fourth and Xi fifth.
The commentary said China shared Lee’s legacy of fighting graft among senior officials, which Lee called “netting big fish”- the equivalent of the “tigers” in Xi’s crackdown.
It said Lee’s legacy of the rule of law also inspired China to improve its legal system. The fourth plenum of the party’s Central Committee held last October focused on an agenda to introduce rule by law.
It said Lee’s legacy was to make Singapore citizens bear in mind the rule by law that China was trying to introduce.
All major state media yesterday gave prominent coverage to Lee’s death, with editorials and commentaries praising his achievement of transforming a small island with few resources into a world-class financial and trade centre.
State broadcaster CCTV devoted nearly half its midday news bulletin to reports on Lee’s death, while obituaries were splashed across the homepages of websites of all major media outlets.
Xinhua praised Lee for never deviating from his political beliefs and values despite facing “defamation and criticism from foreign media”.
China Daily quoted Jin Canrong , deputy dean of the School of International Relations at Renmin University, as saying Lee’s contribution to China was “sharing Singapore’s successful experience in governance”.
The China Internet Information Centre, a central-government-run news portal, said Lee’s accomplishments with Singapore convinced China that it, too, could become a strong and prosperous nation “by insisting on following its own path”.
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