We can play catalyst to reforms: Goh

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE, JULY 10. Singapore, India and China could explore ways of fostering and retaining their talent within Asia so as to face the challenges being posed by the emergence of the New Economy. Proposing this, the Singapore Prime Minister, Mr. Goh Chok Tong, said, in an exclusive interview to The Hindu last week, that if both India and China ``see the value of South East Asia,'' they could ``cooperate'' and play a role in this region.

However, Mr. Goh firmly said that Singapore was seeking no role at all in bringing India and China together on the political and strategic planes. Pressed on Singapore's unique position of being able to grasp the mindset of China as also India, Mr. Goh conceded that the city-state could, if both New Delhi and Beijing so desired, act as an informal ``interpreter'' of events in the two big countries. He made it abundantly clear, at the same time, that Singapore had no intention of becoming a direct ``interlocutor''.

These countries, in his view, were best suited to deal with each other.

Given that Singapore's ties with India were not clouded over its nuclear tests in 1998, Mr. Goh spoke with a great deal of candour and earnestness about New Delhi's challenges and opportunities in its relations on regional fora.

He did not foresee, at this stage, the emergence of a new security architecture in East Asia.

On the bilateral front, Mr. Goh envisioned the possibility of Singapore playing a catalyst in the process of India's economic reforms.

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