[Between China and India: Is Tibet the Wedge or Link?]Reconciling faith with the forces of globalization remains the challengeSINGAPORE: The encounter of China and India in this century will change the world. For thousands of years, the two civilizations were separated by the high mountains of Tibet. Except for a brief war in 1962, there were no major conflicts between them. Together, they make [Not here but always present]Ephraim was here.Blogger has been cranky of late. [Call on China VP Xi Jinping and Meeting with FM Yang Jiechi]MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS PRESS STATEMENTVISIT OF MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS GEORGE YEO TO THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, 19 AUGUST 2009 Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo, who is on an official visit to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), called on PRC Vice President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the [Call on PRC National People's Congress Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Li Zhaoxing]Former Chinese FM Li Zhaoxing did much to improve bilateral relations between China and Singapore. I had the pleasure of calling on him at the Great Hall of the People on Tuesday.Do read my posts on Beyond SG and link up on Facebook if you have an account [Opening of NKF Hougang-Punggol Dialysis Centre]On Sunday morning, the new NKDF dialysis centre at Hougang-Punggol was officially opened providing an important facility for residents living in the area. I did the honours with fellow MP Yeo Guat Kwang and NKF Chairman Gerard Ee.This project started at the height of the TT Durai scandal when Singaporeans lost confidence in NKF. At that time, there [iFly]This morning, I did the groundbreaking for a new attraction in Sentosa, the world's biggest skydiving simulator. Basically you get into a windtunnel that blows at 200km an hour simulating terminal velocity in a skydive. Around that speed, you can go faster or slower by adjusting your body geometry. It is not only fun, it can also be used as a training facility. iFly will be opend in the [A Piece by Thant Myint-U]The piece below by Myint-U is worth reading. He is a thoughtful son of Myanmar who feels deeply for his country and his people. I learn much meeting him from time to time.Let's Talk to Burma, China Sure IsBy Thant Myint-USunday, August 16, 2009Twenty years of sanctioning and lecturing Burma's military regime have failed. The West needs to engage with Burma's leaders, [Welcoming Thai FM Kasit to Aljunied GRC]Thai FM Kasit asked to visit Singapore a few days ago as part of his round of consultation with ASEAN FMs on the situation in Myanmar. An hour after he arrived in Singapore from Jakarta, I hosted him for a simple working dinner at Bliss Restaurant in Punggol Park. I strongly supported his proposal to write a joint letter to the Myanmar Government [Professor Wang Gungwu's speech at the inauguration of the Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre] Professor Amartya Sen has spoken for those of us who have been involved for the past three years in the project to see Nalanda University restored as an international hub of learning. His is the voice of all those who recognize what Nalanda stood for and can stand for again. Minister George Yeo took a key [Inauguration of the Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre]The Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre was officially inaugurated at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) this morning by Nobel Prize laureate Prof Amartya Sen. Both he and Prof Wang Gungwu, ISEAS Chairman, gave wonderful speeches, each a counterpoint to the other.The Buddhist Lodge has been a major patron of the Centre. At the launch of the [ASEAN Day Reception]OPENING REMARKS BY MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS GEORGE YEO AT THE ASEAN DAY RECEPTION 2009, UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE, 6 AUGUST 2009Excellencies,Fellow Citizens of ASEAN,Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to join everyone here this evening to celebrate ASEAN's 42nd birthday. It is especially wonderful to see [One Year Countdown to the First Youth Olympic Games]Next Friday will be a special day and moment to look forward to. This will be a milestone and a big celebration for the First Youth Olympic Games.On 14 August 2010, the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games will begin. And this Friday will be the one-year countdown to the games.Do join us at the Padang this Friday evening! [Lunch with Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna]India's External Affairs Minister Shri S M Krishnan transited in Singapore on his way to Australia. We had a pleasant lunch together at St Regis. I had asked for the Chinese menu to be extra spicy in his honour. He is a very experienced leader who was already a minister in Indira Gandhi's cabinet. I first knew him when he was Chief ["Where Got Ghost?"]When Jack Neo invited me for the gala premiere of his new movie "Where Got Ghost?", I accepted immediately. I've known him for a long time and was the Guest of Honour for one of his earliest movies "Liang Po Po". Later, he told friends that without a certain relaxation of our dialect policy in the early 90's, his movies could not have taken off.Jack is a very sharp observer [14th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Women Leaders Network Meeting]I was very privileged to be invited to attend the 14th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Women Leaders Network Meeting or APEC WLN in short. Today was the first of the two-day meetings which involved members of the 21 APEC economies and three non-APEC countries were in attendance as well. The two Plenary Sessions were enjoyable [Farewell Cory!]I went over to the residence of the Philippine Ambassador this morning to sign the condolence book, expressing our deep sympathies to the people and government of the Philippines. I decided to wear a yellow tie instead of the usual black in honour of President Corazon Aquino. At a crucial moment in history, she was called to serve even though she had not been prepared for high [National Day Celebration at Eurasian House ]SPEECH BY MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND MINISTER REPRESENTING THE EURASIAN COMMUNITY IN THE CABINET GEORGE YEO AT THE JOINT SELF-HELP GROUPS (SHGS) NATIONAL DAY CELEBERATIONS AT THE EURASIAN COMMUNITY HOUSE, 3 AUGUST 2009, 9.50AMFellow Singaporeans, friends of Singapore, we are delighted to gather here this morning at the Eurasian House to celebrate [The DNA Coding That Makes Us Singaporean]It is time again to take the flags out from the storeroom. On TV and radio, we hear familiar strains of national songs. Soon it will be National Day again. With each year, the memories accumulate. There is little which is completely new or exciting. Instead there is the reassurance of what is familiar, of ritual and tradition. As with other young [6th Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Conference]On Monday, the Foreign, Defence and Trade Ministers of Singapore met their Australian counterparts for a meeting to discuss how we can strengthen bilateral relations. Our overall relations are excellent marked by close cooperation across all sectors and a high degree of trust. There is also considerable mutual affection going back to [ASEAN Meetings (Part III)]High points in the last two days were the US accession to ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation and discussions about Myanmar and North Korea (DPRK). On Myanmar, the tone of the US and Europe has changed but the call on Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi was unanimous. I talked about the importance of continuing economic engagement. On DPRK, everyone condemned the [ASEAN Meetings in Phuket (Part II)]Shaking hands with Thai PM Abhisit VejjajivaASEAN FMs call on Thai PM Abhisit VejjajivaGroup Photo at AMM Opening CeremonyGroup Photo at AMM RetreatAt AMM RetreatWith Indonesia FM Pak HassanAMM Working LunchGroup photo before meeting of SEANWFZ CommissionAMM Plenary [ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Phuket]After the Pattaya debacle, ASEAN Foreign Ministers arrived in Phuket to very tight security. Despite the heavy presence of uniformed personnel, Thai hospitality surrounds you. It sometimes seems everyone is bowing, clasping hands, wishing you 'sawadee kap', offering you flower garlands. I always feel that my response to their good wishes is insufficient.We [Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]Having just come back from a different time zone, I half expected to be dozing off during the movie. But for those of us who're fans of Harry Potter, the movie was absorbing. There were many bits I could not piece together immediately but that didn't affect the enjoyment of the special effects and the subtle characterisations. Though long, time passed by [A new blog]When Foreign Minister emailed me months ago to inform me about his decision to start a group blog, I was not startled.For one, there was a time when Facebook threatened the existence of blogs but the limitations of Facebook had showed that a blog still had relevance.The new group blog which we had discussed a few weeks back would boast a stellar cast. It would have diverse views and [The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)]NAM was established during the Cold War for countries that did not want to be tightly allied to the US or the Soviet camp. With the end of the Cold War, NAM's role in global affairs has become fuzzier. For a while, the US was the world's sole superpower and NAM became a platform for a few countries opposing the US to lobby support among over a hundred member [Bilateral Meetings at Sharm El Sheikh]The NAM Summit is an occasion for bilateral meetings on the side. Egypt is in the Chair. Thailand FM Kasit kindly hosted tea for ASEAN FMs to meet on Monday afternoon. I had bilateral meetings with the FM of Cuba, India, Haiti and Bangladesh. President Rahmon of Tajikistan asked for a bilateral meeting because of his interest in closer ties with [Calls on Syrian President, PM and FM]On Sunday morning, I called on Syrian President Bashar Assad in the Presidential Palace. The palace grounds were lovely, set on a hill. The building itself was stately without being garish or ostentatious.President Bashar, a trained opthamologist, welcomed me warmly. He spoke fluent English. Having been influenced by the western media, I was pleasantly [Meeting Singapore Students in Damascus]In recent years, the number of Muslim religious students studying in various institutions in Damascus has grown. There are now about 70 of them in Syria. The Islam taught here is moderate reflecting the philosophy of the multi-religious Syrian state. The cost of studying in Syria is also not expensive. The Syrians are a warm and friendly people who [Visit to Aleppo]Aleppo is the name of a distant place I first encountered reading about the Crusades and later in Shakespeare's Macbeth while in secondary school. I never imagined one day visiting Aleppo until a few weeks ago when the Grand Mufti of Syria, Shaikh Dr Ahmad Bader Eddin al-Hassoun, who is from Aleppo, invited me to visit. We met when he was in Singapore to deliver MUIS' [Damascus]I arrived in Damascus on Thursday on a bilateral visit at the invitation of Syrian FM Mr Moualem. Singapore and Syria only established diplomatic relations last year. Damascus is the world's oldest continually-inhabited city and has a special character. Its layers of civilization go back thousands of years. The history of Syria told in its National Museum is a longitudinal slice of