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SINGAPORE : Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said China can resume its rapid growth of between 10 and 12 percent when the world economy recovers, and the country will be an important market and trading partner for Singapore.
Mr Lee said Singapore's bilingual education policy is reaping dividends in places like China.
Singaporean businessmen who know the language can tap into the country's fast-growing markets and open doors for future growth, especially with the recent signing of the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.
While many of the young in China's cities may be fluent in English, their preferred language is Chinese.
This is where Business China, an initiative of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry can help. Business China can help businessmen brush up on their Mandarin skills and knowledge of the social and cultural conditions of present-day China.
Speaking at Business China's first anniversary dinner, Mr Lee highlighted how Singaporeans who had a basic foundation in the language could quickly hone their skills after immersion in the country.
Mr Lee said: "In Beijing, I recently met Singaporean Lim Ming Yan when I witnessed the formal opening of "Raffles City". He heads CapitaLand's business in China. He did Chinese as a second language in school. At university and in his work, his main language was English.
"When he was posted to China, he was able to bring his Mandarin up fairly quickly, because of his 12 years in school of having Chinese as a second language. Now, he converses comfortably in Mandarin with the Chinese officials and businessmen."
Business China will start an e-learning portal to help members brush up on the language. - CNA /ls
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