Sharing the world with a rising China
- By Li Shen
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E-mail China.org.cn, October 16, 2013
Editor's note: Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of modern Singapore, has referred to as a "Grand Master" by presidents, prime ministers and chief executives. Graham Allison from Harvard University has written a book on Lee, entitled "Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master's Insights on China, the United States, and the World," sharing the leader's insights on topics such as the rise of China and the new Chinese president, Xi Jinping, the result of 18 months of interviews.
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Dr Graham Allison is director of Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard’s Kennedy School [Photo by Li Shen/China.org.cn] |
![Dr Graham Allison is director of Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard’s Kennedy School [Photo by Li Shen/China.org.cn]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20131016/001ec949c22b13c8392304.jpg "Dr Graham Allison is director of Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard’s Kennedy School [Photo by Li Shen/China.org.cn]")
Staff reporter Li Shen spoke to Allison during his latest visit to China to promote the Chinese version of his book, which is published by China CITIC press this month.
China.org.cn: What motivated you to write "Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master's Insights on China, the United States, and the World"?
Allison: I have been lucky enough to have known Mr. Lee Kuan Yew for a long time. I first met him in 1968 when he came to visit Harvard for a month after he had been prime minister for seven years. He has come back to visit me at Harvard a few times and I visited him in Singapore. It struck me that he had a rare strategic mind. He has great strategic insights on the future of China, the U.S. and globalization. I wanted to collect these nuggets in a nice thin book.
China.org.cn: What do you find most impressive about Lee?
A: Henry Kissinger said in the foreword to the book that Lee Kuan Yew is the smartest strategist he has ever met. That's why we have a section in this book called "When Lee Kuan Yew talks, who listens?" It includes comments from President Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Jacques Chirac and President Xi Jinping. Each of them has listened to Lee Kuan Yew, but the rest of the world have not had the chance to listen to him. When you read the book, you feel like you are interviewing him.
China.org.cn: In this book, Lee said that he put in China's President Xi Jinping in the same class as Nelson Mandela. What do you think about this?
A: Lee says that Xi has much a tougher personality than Hu Jintao. He knows both of them very well. Xi quietly worked his way up from the countryside to the central leadership. It has not been smooth sailing for him. That is why Lee classes him as a person with enormous emotional stability who does not allow his personal misfortunes or sufferings to affect his judgment. I think Lee has high expectations for Xi Jinping.
China.org.cn: In your opinion, what class is Lee Kuan Yew in?
A: He is clearly a strategic thinker. So in that way, he is similar to Henry Kissinger. He is also a father of a country. He took over a very small, corrupted and poor city state and made it into a high-level country with a higher income per capita than America, which is a great accomplishment. We asked him who he admires, and he answered Deng Xiaoping, for introducing market reform, Winston Churchill for not giving up, de Gaulle and Lincoln. I think he admires people who had overcome hardship.
China.org.cn: What is your observation on China's strategy of becoming number one in the world and coping with a rising China?
A: Lee Kuan Yew said that China's strategy of becoming number one is to out-produce, out-build and out–sell others. After that, it needs to protect its interests as the strongest economic power. According to Lee Kuan Yew, the U.S. needs to develop a strategy to cope with China's rise. He hopes that the U.S. will develop a strategy to share leadership in Asia with China. This would require the U.S. to adapt, because it is a rival power. He is optimistic about the U.S.-China relationship.
I personally think that the Chinese strategy so far has been very smart. Building the economy is good for the country and will make the Chinese proud. When China surpasses the U.S. in economic power and plays a bigger role in the region, which of course it will, I would say that we should avoid the 'Thucydides trap' ; whereby a rising power rivals ruling power. Historically, if you look in the last 500 years, it turned out very badly. Take World War One for example, Germany rose and rivaled Great Britain, and it ended in disaster. So the leaders of China and the U.S. need to be wiser.
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