By Clarissa Oon, Senior Political Correspondent

SINGAPORE has built up an unspoken understanding with China that will serve it well in future relations with the emerging giant, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said last night.

But it must never descend to becoming a satellite of Beijing or any other power, he stressed to some 200 officials and businessmen who have dealings with China.

Singapore must keep its 'own point of view', or it will lose all effectiveness in the new world order, he said in a wide-ranging dialogue, part of a dinner to mark networking group Business China's second anniversary.

Limits in copying S'pore's experience

By Kor Kian Beng

CHINA too has its version of the Meet-the-People session - something that its officials picked up from Singapore.

But unlike Singapore, where the Prime Minister himself meets his constituents to know their problems first hand, only lower- ranked cadres in China have to meet the people and report to the leaders.

This is because of the sheer size of the country, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, citing this example yesterday to show the limits that China officials face in trying to implement Singapore's policies and practices back home.

Bring skills the Chinese do not have

By Cai Haoxiang

WANT to work successfully in China? Bring with you skills the Chinese do not have, said Mr Lee Kuan Yew last night.

These can be an intimate knowledge of and links with parts of the world that matter to China, such as South-east Asia and Western countries like America, he said.

Minister Mentor Lee was responding to a question from Nanyang Technological University undergraduate Lin Wei Qi, who interned in Shanghai for six months last year and was interested to work in China again after graduating next year.

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