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SINGAPORE: Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said Singapore will assess a country's ability to absorb the transfer of ideas and knowledge before deciding whether to collaborate with the country on joint projects.
Mr Lee made this point while speaking to Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet during a courtesy call on Thursday morning.
He said if a country is not serious about knowledge transfer, Singapore will be reluctant to work with it as it will be a fruitless effort.
But Mr Lee is confident that Vietnam has a serious-minded leadership, who wants to make a breakthrough in the new economy.
This can be seen in the success of the first two Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park projects in south Vietnam.
Mr Lee said with the support given by President Triet and his government, the joint venture is a success and is now expanding to north Vietnam.
He believes the two new projects in Bac Ninh and Hai Phong will make similar progress as the first two projects in Ho Chi Minh City.
President Thiet said the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park projects are symbols of good friendship between the two countries.
He is also pleased with the progress made in the area of education collaboration.
Mr Triet also thanked Mr Lee for his contributions to the promotion of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
Mr Lee, who is on a five-day official visit to Vietnam, will meet the General Secretary of the Communist Party, Nong Duc Manh, in the evening.
Mr Lee will also have a dialogue session with about 100 senior and new party cadres. The dialogue session is to find out more about the renewal process of the country and its challenges.
- CNA/yt
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