Distinguished Your Excellency Minister Chan Soo Sen, President Wang Quancheng and directors, Ladies and Gentlemen，

I am very glad to attend tonight’s gathering of Hua Yuan Association. I would like to express my warm congratulations to all the new-elected directors in the second-term board!

Since Hua Yuan Association was founded two years ago, it has been practicing extensive recruitment and active functions. The Association has been honoured by applauses from all over the society for their important facilitation to Singapore’s economic and social development as well as the Sino-Singaporean friendship. I would like to take this opportunity to convey my admiration and gratitude to you all.


There are many new Chinese emigrants in Hua Yuan Association. Even today unfavourable opinions are still held towards the migrant issue. Not long ago, a scholar asked me about my personal view on this. To be frank, I regard migrant as a commendatory term in a large sense. Historically, migrants have made imperishable contribution to the world’s development and the human being’s progress. But for the immigrants into China’s Fujian and Guangdong, development in those areas should have been put off and the dishonourable fame as Southern Barbarian should not have been got rid of that early. In the current history, Shanghai should not have been built up as a great metropolis without immigrants. In the contemporary age, Shenzhen should never have emerged within 10 years if no immigrants had moved there. In the same way, without immigrants, today USA could not lead in the area of science and technology as well as economy. It is also unimaginable too that without immigrants Singapore could reach the level of developed countries starting from a developing country.


I would like to particularly point out, that it is widely recognized and acclaimed that all generations of Chinese immigrants have made remarkable contributions to different country’s prosperity and development, through working closely with the local people. These achievements also include those made by both the old and the new generations of immigrants to the development of Singapore. We could perceive a valuable quality from them, that is, a spirit of fearlessness, courage, aspiration, persistence, cooperation and endeavour, which has inspired the immigrants to try a new way, open a new horizon and create a new venture. This spirit still deserves promotion even today.


Today’s world is under great changes. Peace and development still remain the two main themes, which are however, are confronted with severe challenges at the same time. Some instability elements come out in the conventional and unconventional security fields from time to time. As an unpredictable catastrophe, SARS has impacted many countries’ economic and social evolution in different degrees. Fortunately, under both sides’ cooperation, China and Singapore effectively curbed the epidemic, but there are still a lot to do before we totally diminish the negative effects. On the one hand, we should continue our work in preventing and controlling SARS spread until the last success. On the other hand, no efforts should we spare in fostering the economy and development in other industries in order to make up the losses caused by the epidemic.

During the period combating SARS, China and Singapore maintained a sound cooperation with each other. In the post-SARS period, we still need to work closely to promote the mutual-beneficial collaboration in various fields. China highly evaluates her relations with Singapore. I am pleased to tell you that in the late June or early July, the exchange of delegations of our two countries, which have been postponed by SARS, will be resumed. China’s Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing will pay an official visit to Singapore next month. It is believed that trade and tourism between both countries will resume within a short period of time, and a new cooperation climax will come soon. I hope that Hua Yuan Association along with other social groups would exert their own efforts in the cooperation.

We also noticed that there are two features of the new Hua Yuan Association. Firstly, women comprise an important part of the organization, and secondly, there are more young members. It shows Hua Yuan’s vitality, energy and vigour, which are just the requirement of the time being. I sincerely wish that the new-elected board of directors, with spirit of vitality, will unite and lead all the members to make new achievement at a new starting point, and renew their contribution to Singapore’s development, as well as the cooperation and friendship between China and Singapore.

Thank you all.