Editor's note: Feng Da Hsuan is chief adviser of China Silk Road iValley Research Institute and former vice president of research at the University of Texas at Dallas. The article reflects the author's opinion, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Invited by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is on a five-day official visit to the island nation from November 12 to 16, his first official visit to Singapore as Chinese premier.

In the five days, he is being kept extremely busy. His full schedule includes attending the 21st China-ASEAN (10+1) Summit, the 21st ASEAN Plus Three Summit (10+3) and the 13th East Asia Summit (EAS).

On November 13, he delivered a speech on China-Singapore relations as well as regional development at a lecture organized by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

In Li's speech, there was one sentence that is worthy of attention, where he quoted the ancient Chinese saying, “A close neighbor is better than a distant relative.” The fact that he emphasized this saying in the current geopolitical situation, especially in East Asia, seems to me to be profoundly meaningful.

As someone whose formative age was spent in Singapore and noticing this well-publicized visit of Premier Li, I cannot help but feel excited seeing my “hometown” and the country where I derived my cultural heritage enter a new era of interactions.

I grew up in Singapore way before its independence. At that time China was essentially a “black hole” to me and probably to most Singaporeans as well.

As is well known, in 1978, China entered the era of “reform and opening up.” A few years later in 1979, I started to realize China's importance in East Asia when I spent a year at the Niels Bohr Institute in the University of Copenhagen where I was able to meet and form lifelong professional relations with a large number of top Chinese scientists.

However, formal diplomatic ties between Singapore and China came much later, only on October 3, 1990.

Unlike China's other neighboring nations, from North Asia to Southeast Asia, to South Asia, Singapore is the only country which has 74 percent of the population with Chinese heritage. It is also the only country among China's neighbors where Mandarin is one of the four official languages.

Today, with an enormous growth of its economic status, Singapore is also one of China's major trading partners. It has also invested heavily, economically and intellectually, in China. Within China, it has set up successful mega-projects such as the Singapore-Suzhou Township Development project and Singapore-Sichuan High-tech Innovation Park and so on.

Yet, China's relationship with Singapore can be a bit tricky at times.

Due to the fact that many Singaporeans are ethnic Chinese where they look Chinese and can speak Mandarin, or even fluent Chinese dialects such as Cantonese, Fujian dialect and Hainanese, Some people outside China put out the sentiment that China sees Singapore as a Chinese nation

Hence, a clear statement from a Chinese leader that China does not see Singapore that way and considers it as a different nation and a “close neighbor” is of fundamental importance. It clearly delineates China's relationship with Singapore. Despite the differences in the scales of population and landmass, the relationship between the two nations, as underlines by Li, is entirely based on equality and respect.

Indeed, Li is signaling to Singaporeans that China intends to understand the challenges facing Singapore, economically and geopolitically. Likewise, it is equally important for Singapore to understand China's challenges from the Chinese perspective.

Throughout history, a “powerful” nation has always been defined by its economic and military might, the so-called “gunboat diplomacy.” There is no doubt, in the 21st century, that China has emerged as a powerful nation.

However, what Li has said in Singapore is that China wants to, and is redefining the meaning of a “powerful nation.” In its relations with other nations, no matter they are small, large or massive, China wants to interact with them based not only on just mutual respect, but also mutual understanding and interests.

(Cover: Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong listens to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the 33rd ASEAN Summit, November 14, 2018, in Singapore. /VCG Photo)

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