5/12/2017

China playing catch up with Singapore

China has been playing catching up with Singapore but is losing. When Singapore started industrialisation in the 60s, China was still a backward agricultural economy. It then sent many delegations of civil servants here to learn the trick of the trade using Singapore as a role model. Over the last 40 years China made progress, opened up to the world and industrialised. The millions of bicycles on the road instead of cars also gave way, just like Singapore in the last 40 years, and cars started to appear on the road to replace the bicycles.

Singapore has done that and moved on. The roads that are filled with cars in Singapore is starting to give way as Singapore progresses. This time Singapore is moving ahead again. Singaporeans are encouraged to ride bicycles instead of buying cars. Soon the roads of Singapore will be filled with bicycles again, just like China before opening up to the world. China would have a tough act to follow Singapore this time, to abandon the use of cars and to go back to riding bicycles.  It is unlikely that China could catch up with Singapore in making its people to ride bicycles again, and very likely also a choice to abandon backward third world mode of transportation when people cannot afford to buy cars.

China is also losing out in housing after copying our housing models. Singaporeans have gone through the phase of buying bigger and bigger homes and asset enhancement. China is starting to do just that, with its nouve riche population rushing in to buy bigger and bigger homes. China did not know that the new trend of development, of progress, is to buy smaller homes, even to make babies, the smaller the cosier. Singaporeans are getting so rich that they know cars are wasteful, and so are bigger homes. So Singaporeans have embarked on a new trend, to buy smaller homes as a new lifestyle choice. When would China tell its people that small homes/flats are good and would not affect their quality of life?

Singaporeans are on the next phase of progress, not only buying smaller homes but trading them for retirement, come empty handed, go empty handed. China would take time to catch up with Singapore, for its people to start to buy smaller homes, and to tell its people to come empty handed and go empty handed, trading their homes for retirement, no more life long state pensions.

There are several areas that China has yet to embark on to be like Singapore, like paying their politicians millions to make them instant millionaires. This is something that China is still very backward and would never catch up with Singapore. Would China also learn from Singapore to bring in foreign talents to help create jobs for its locals? Would China dilute its core population with foreigners? Would China start to sell its strategic assets to foreigners as the next phase of their development?

Singapore is streaking ahead in many fields and enterprises. Would China also learn from Singapore to get its universities ranked among the best in the world? Never mind if our best graduates cannot built spacecraft, cannot build aircraft carriers, cannot build high speed trains after graduating from our world best universities. The progress is in getting the universities ranked as world best and get a degree from world best universities is the goal.

By the look of things, China will never catch up with Singapore and its people will be stuck with bigger homes and cars and not wanting to ride bicycles again. And its political leaders would never smell what it is like to be paid millions of dollars in salary and what it would be like to be millionaire politicians, and what dignity is all about boosted by a big pay cheque.

Singaporeans are now happily switching their cars to bicycles as a healthy way of life while the Chinese are pursuing their unhealthy and wasteful dreams of car ownership.

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

China has thousands of years of civilization. It has gone through one disaster to another, crushed many times but survived. Singapore is only 50 years and we just like road side trees, grow fast but with no main roots. Look tall and vibrant (due waste from New Water) but cannot withstand strong wind and disease.

Anonymous said...

China should learn from Singapore, replaced its low skill and no experience locals with foreign talents if it wants to catch up with Singapore to be a first world nation.

virgo49 said...


China will never catch up with Singapore where the sinkies chin chin kowtowed to the whites anywhere they go.

Just yesterday at SSC 1.50 per entry for senior citizens gym, a young well built chin chin sinkie young man on a reclining bench just done a set jumped up like a jack in the box when an ang mph came and arrogantly asked him : Have you finished???

Add insult to injury, also adjust the reclining bench straight for him to use. On one occasion, a sinkie own chin chin family asked him can I share? He said can't you see I am using half thru my sets. Never know now ang moh also patronised 3.00 per entry gym. All still in awe of them.

This is one that China must never learn from Singapore. Pathetic!! Kudos to the PRC and North Korea who dared defiled the Whites.

Smart sinkies who benefited from the last fifty years need not lose out with nothing and zero sum value property.

Many owned free hold cheep cheep private properties. Those who had lived free of charge for 40 years and brought at just 46k sold theirs to the young dafts who brought over at 800k thinking they had made a bargain and able to service their loan without losing their income.

While the one who makes the 1000% profits rubbed his hands in glee buying a matland terrace just for a fraction price.

Anonymous said...

Nothing will change until we vote out the PAP government.
The daftness is spreading from the PAP leadership, to the civil service into all sectors of the Singapore economy.
The decline of our MRT trains is a symptom of the depth and breadth of the PAP cancer in our country.

True or not?
You tell me lah.

Anonymous said...


Wake Up Now! Wake Up Now! Wake Up Now!

I have nothing against my home, Singapore.

What to learn from Singapore?

What so good about Singapore?

The achievemets so far are just normal.

Nothing speacial! No invention! Nothing great! Nothing! Nothing!

Singapore achieved good growth in the past not because Singapore is that very good.

But, because our neighbours did not progress at the same speeds due to their internal issues.

Not that because Singapore is very good!

Look at our neighbours now. They are charging ahead. OVERtaking over us, soon!

So what can others learn from Singapore? Nothing! Nothing! Nothing!

Singapore must wake up now..........yes now!

Before it is too late!

Anonymous said...

Singapore is first world progressing to third world.

Anonymous said...


We must be honest.

We are fast becoming a No-Money-No-Talk and You-Die-Your-Business society!

Others got eyes to see.

You think others want to learn from us?

Think about it!

virgo49 said...


Learn from our Elites how ti double-talked.

Now they had sucked much saliva from the ah nehs and ang mohs.

When one China Minister accused our Ambassador at Large neither here or there of being anti-china and trying to lead the rest of ASEAN leaders of issue a strong statement of the South China Seas issue, he like typical sinkies exclaimed Where Got? Where Got? Where Got?

WE ARE JUST TRYING TO SOOTHE MATTERS AND HELP.

PUI!!

Anonymous said...

I'm just tired of Singapore being used as a laboratory by PAP linked companies.
We pay for the mistakes and R&D costs.
These PAP linked companies use the lessons learnt and bid for overseas projects.

When the overseas project lose money ... who pays?
When the overseas project makes money ... do Singaporeans benefit?

True or not?
I don't know.
You tell me lah.

Anonymous said...

America is run and ruled by rogues, crooks and scoundrels and they call it democracy. Is a small state in South East Asia any different? They rake in hundreds of millions of dollars under a veil of legality while the people at large are struggling miserably hard for a living.

Anonymous said...

That bugger thinks the Chinese were born yesterday and he could tell white lies and the Chinese are stupid and would believe him.

b said...

Why settle for leasehold when one can go for freehold? Why settle for flat when one can go for villa? Why settle for compulsory ns when one can go for voluntarily? Why settle for expensive crowded living when one can go for cheaper relaxed living? Just emigrate.

patriot said...


Doubt China will ever be able to catch up with Sin.

Sin is the Front Runner of all the
First World Countries.
lt has World Top Ranking Universities, Medical Services, First/Top Class Public Transport System.
To top them All, Sin is in the Hands of impeccable and corrupt-proof rulers.

Sinkies are the Most Blessed Citizens of Sin which other citizenries are envious.

Do enjoy the Glory
while it lasts.


patriot

Seeker of Better Living said...

Yes, emigration is the best answer to a better life. If yyou really want REAL FIRST WORLD Standard of Living, don't live in a Psuedo 1st World Silly-State together with silly people who keep voting for a Dictatorial North-Korean Style Communistic PAP disguised as a Parliamentary-Democratic Political Party. In practice, it is actually worst than Communistic China, Russia, Vietnam or Cuba.

Instead of killing you immediately with anti-aircraft machine guns like Kim Jong-Un, they kill you slowly with economic strangulation policies so that you are blamed for your own inadequacies instead of their calculated, deliberate ruthlessness and mercilessness.

In the words of Amos Yee, "A Horrible Man" taken as a good leader who cares for his country and people, but actually ripping you apart and sucking your blood daily and increadingly, due to their unquenchable greed for more money to fatten the national reserve directly and their personal bank and CPF accounts indirectly, but exponentially. Doing it so glaringly, using a Parliament dominated by ar least 90% of their Party-Whip Controlled Undemocratic-Dictatorial Method of Stuffing Shits into your stomachs and brains relentlessly an unceasingly, disguised as laws, regulations, etc.

Only those who benefitted directly and indirectly from such a legally-corrupt system of government and those who have sold their souls to the Devil are keen to keep quiet and keep supporting such a system.

If you are not able to do so, ler your children go. Give them a chance to seek greener and better pastures.

With more 3rd world villagers converting themselves into Silly-Sinkies, so this Silly-State will become a Bastardized 3rd World City with all the social, ciltural, religious, racial and economic woes. It is only a matter of time. It is not if but when.

The earlier you get out of this strangle-hold the better.

Anonymous said...

The word 'politics' is derived from the word 'poly', meaning 'many', and the word 'ticks', meaning 'blood sucking parasites'.
- Larry Hardiman

Politics - thy name is Singapore.

Anonymous said...

Political Joke
------------------------

What happens if a PAPaya politician drowns in a river?
That is called pollution.

What happens if all of them drown?
That is called a solution!!!

Anonymous said...

Compare that with the quality of de Niro’s political discourse, which has included such gems as wanting to punch Donald Trump in the face and calling him blatantly stupid.
Celebrities who can’t go beyond such ineffective rhetoric should perhaps follow the advice of Jimmy Conway, de Niro’s character in Goodfellas: “Always keep your mouth shut.”

Read more at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/lifestyle/commentary-when-it-comes-to-politics-celebrities-should-put-up-8836256

Anonymous said...

HK has a new generation rising. They will soak in. What do you have?

Anonymous said...

Singaporeans are encouraged to ride bicycles instead of buying cars.
RB

I think the encouragement and message is for those who cannot afford cars and so it's only logical. Nothing to find fault with the statement, really.

Anonymous said...

To PAP, doesn't matter whether Singaporeans ride bicycles, drive cars or BMW (Bus MRT Walk), most important is come election time, they vote for PAP.

And I believe those who doesn't drive also voted PAP because I don't think 70% of voters own and drive cars.

Anonymous said...

What it means when you are treated as a citizen and not a slave in Malaysia.

http://www.theindependent.sg/msians-post-about-fathers-hospital-bill-touches-many/

.....................
Alzamani, in his own post, explained the breakdown of the costs of the medical services rendered.

For RM1, he said, patients typically get consultation (worth RM200), X-ray (RM100), ultrasound for some cases (RM150), CT scan for some cases (RM500), blood tests (RM150) and drugs (RM150).

The total value is RM1,250, a “conservative estimate”, he said, adding, “You pay RM1. We absorb RM1,249.”

For outpatient treatment at the emergency department for patients with a “simple fever” but which requires blood tests, a chest X-ray, antibiotics and observation, Alzamani said the estimated cost is RM500.

“You pay RM1 and we absorb RM499,” he said.

“When you come to the public hospital, often the real cost is not shown. We just hope you don’t value us as only RM1. Because we know our worth.”

Anonymous said...

China is not a democracy, but changes its leadership every 10 yrs. We have a democracy with no leadership change. China is a communist state in name only, we are a republic(nation of laws) also in name only.

Anonymous said...

You said the boy hates you. What exactly did the boy hated about you that you need to kill him or shut him up?

The rich man of Asia, what have you done?

Btw, did you read that the hated are attacking randomness?

agongkia said...

China is being modest and was never here to learn from us in those years.
Giving the impression that they are here to learn from us is just being humble.
Do you go oversea to boast about your achievements or should you be humble and say you are there to learn from them?
A humble man will just says it's to learn from others and praise others' achievements .
Stop thinking too highly of ourselves especially if your chokongs are from China .
Only khongcum will continue to think they were here to learn from us.
謙虛should not be seen as 落後。



Anonymous said...

@ May 13, 2017 8:08 am

TRUE OR NOT ??
---------------
Only the PAP will think that they got something to teach China.
Only Singaporeans are stupid enough to believe the PAP.

Anonymous said...

Success is the best teacher. Now you can eat, drink and be merry. Live in Sin, dies in Sin

agongkia said...

Anon 8.15
Go visit China and see how bridges between mountains n tunnels are built.
Can travel between big cities within hours.
We can actually do away with cars easily and replace with bicycles.
Over pampered daft Sinkies are simply being too lazy and need a car even when they dun need one.
Whatever,very wrong to let readers think China need to learn from us esp. for those who cannot read between lines.


Anonymous said...

it is in the DNA. what we called the seed of destruction. fools are blind and will deny

Virgo 49 said...

AhGongkia, if you are praising China for their infrastructures, kudos to you.

China after just learning some basic constructions from Singa pore now constructing overseas projects of advanced construction in other countries bringing in the revenue.

Whilst sinking land still struggling to find what signal faults that can paralysed our systems for days.

Anyway, having a car is just a necessity in an advanced country.

You need it to convey your old folks around.

Only Dafts been conned that you only need a bicycle.

Try cycling from Zhuihai to Macao or Hainan Tao or Shenzhen to Honkong.

You still need a car or coach to reach there.

Unless you are those parasites Whures who spend their time doing these silly things of adventures.

They have the time because they have enough conned wealth from you Dafts.

Who got the energies to do these lunatic antics? ?

agongkia said...

Uncle Virgo.
Your 3rd sentence is still claiming that China learnt basic of construction here .Those builders who built houses here in those days are from China themselves.
They are here not to learn but to study how to built better building when they are back to prevent cases like hotel new world.
From Shenzhen to Amoy,even to my ancestral hometown in Zhao An, and other cities , can reach within few hours by trains and buses.No need cars or plane.
Only lazy folks here will give excuses like carrying old folks around .
My PG generation colleagues use to take off regularly to send their wives for medical follow ups.
Their sons have cars but only for show off .Our transport system is still acceptable.Should encourage more to ride bicycles.
Consider to get one for yourself in Malacca.

Anonymous said...

Minister Josephine Teo: Milk is milk, just buy whatever cheapest on sale
----------------------------------
http://statestimesreview.com/2017/05/13/minister-josephine-teo-milk-is-milk-just-buy-whatever-cheapest-on-sale/

Do you think it's the same with PAP Ministers?
Are they all just parrots of LKY's Hard Truth?
So we should just vote for the cheapest PAP politicians on sale and avoid voting for the more expensive PAP Ministers?

Anonymous said...

Haha.....

\\voting for cheapest PAP ministers\\
This must be from
a PAP Stooge.

Virgo 49 said...


Ahgongkia, cars in Malaysia not only in Malacca cheep cheep until Lao Sai.

No need pay extortion fee of what COE?

Drive until scrap. can Change cars every five years.Poor Sinkies cars a luxury.

For all you know Bros, those doctors at private as well as public hospitals are also siew tiam or gan Png as in hokkien.

These manufacturers and their agents gave all sorts of incentives to these doctors for promoting their brands.

All sorts of freet travels on the pretext of what attending what seminars.

They afraid of giving cash incentives as they sacred kena.haul up for lim kopi.

Likewise the drugs manufacturers.

You can see the sales teams waiting at their doors waiting to court them.

This is billion dollars business.

But they made the excuse of what nonsense advertising and research.

Already said from the Minister's mouth, Milk is Milk .

what's research? ?

If you are short of it, welcome to suck mine.

Sex in small place.

agongkia said...

Uncle Virgo
Majority of Malaysian drive and it's justifiable as the country is big enough.Sinland is too small and spaces for roads should be reserve for more housing.
From east to west ,can park bicycle at mrt n take train.1 hour plus nia.
Cars ,like milk powder are not a necessity.
Mothers shd be encourage to breast feed instead of milk powder.It benefit the mother too.
Jennifer can testify.

Anonymous said...

Hong Kong has no coe and it is doing great as a financial centre.

Virgo 49 said...


Ahgongkia, wait till the day when they put you in a frontloading platform tricycle to convey you to hospital when you falls sick or in an emergency.

Families should be having rights as car owners if they wish too. Not only for the rich and the Ministers and their MPs.

Able to convey their old folks to doctors and their cats and dogs to vets. Not all able to cycle as they wishes. Some walk ten steps must rest with hearts problems.

As an advanced country, driving cars to riding bicycles what's a joke.

All teeth drops laughing got to see my dentist on Pioneer Status and asked whether can rebate some cash or not. One for you and one for me, you good, I also good.

agongkia said...

Uncle Virgo
Emergency can call 995.
No need to keep cars just for emergency.I notice some who keep few vehicles.One for husband one for wife.
Parent go doctor appt.claim no time to send.
Too many cars on the road only delay ambulance movements in time of emergency.Why must poor like me fighting for time in ambulance got delay by so many unnecessary cars .
Those with 2nd car should pay 4 x COE:-)

Virgo49 said...

Ahgongkia, now even Ambulance or Ambu-Lan in Bahasa Melayu also classified whether you urgent to be reborn or not.

When they hear who? who? Ah Gong Kia?

No ambulance available lag!

Who, who, Kutu Phuat? Lee Kia Chng? Oh HoJinx??

Sure,sure ambulance on the way with Traffic and Military Policemen escorts.

Three mins, three mins.

Cars is a basic necessity for all who can afford it reasonably.

DONT let these Rich trashes conned you otherwise.