With a crowd of nations and multinational companies eager to court Beijing, Ambassador Chin notes that bicultural officers able to thrive in China are at a premium in the job market. He believes full immersion in the country is needed to help develop the essential C-factor. — ST PHOTO: SIM CHI YIN
BEIJING: If you have the C-factor, the Singapore civil service needs you.
This ‘China-ready’ quality has become a new buzzword since Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called for more China-savvy public servants to engage the Middle Kingdom.
‘We need people who can understand the Chinese…be comfortable in their milieu,’ he said last month, after unveiling a new scheme for Singaporeans to work for three to nine months in China before returning to do China-related work in the public service.
While it is difficult to put a finger on exactly what this intangible C-factor is, its importance is growing as Singapore seeks to stay relevant to China.
As the world’s third-largest economy grows in influence both economically and politically on the international stage, the urgency also grows for Singapore to enlarge its pool of C-factor foot-soldiers working the ground in China.
While Singapore works closely with China on a host of bilateral projects and enjoys decades of goodwill, it now finds itself jostling with a crowd of countries assiduously courting the vast nation.
On occasion, Singaporean officials have found themselves ‘waiting in line’ behind other, larger nations all eager to pitch their proposals for more bilateral cooperation with China.
Meanwhile, the Chinese officials are learning the ways of the world fast.
‘It’s like 15 years ago, Singapore was in high school and China was in primary school. Now, we’re both postgraduates, each with our own specialisation and with expertise to exchange,’ said Mr Goh Tien Jin, vice-president of the company managing the flagship bilateral Suzhou Industrial Park.
Mr Ignatius Lim, director of IE Singapore’s China operations, said as much: ‘The window of opportunity is closing.’
But Singapore is still a ‘valued partner’ with ideas and skills to share particularly as China’s economy is shifting gears. What Singapore Inc needs, therefore, is a larger pool of civil servants who can use the C-factor to make the most of today’s opportunities in China.
China-ready?
THERE are many paths to attaining the C-factor.
Some people grew up immersed in Chinese culture. Some went to university in China. Others simply uprooted and moved to the Middle Kingdom to live – and learn.
But there is one thing the small band of China-savvy civil servants have in common: they got up close and personal with China. The key to understanding the country is to nurture personal ties with locals and go for a full immersion in its vast civilisation, noted Singapore’s Ambassador to China, Brigadier-General (NS) Chin Siat-Yoon, in an interview with The Straits Times last week.
Building a solid rapport with locals is a key ingredient of the C-factor. While Singaporeans keep a ‘professional distance’ in their ‘high-trust society’, personal relationships are what make the world go round in China’s ‘low-trust society’, observed one astute civil servant.
And the good news is: China-readiness can be learnt, according to most of the seasoned China hands interviewed.
If Singaporeans’ proficiency in Mandarin stands them in good stead here, surprisingly to some, it is not the key ingredient needed to thrive.
Mr Lim said: ‘I have seen Caucasians who don’t speak Mandarin as well but do better than us, because they understand how the Chinese think, why they think in that manner and put themselves in the shoes of the Chinese.
‘It is about the Chinese-ness in you…having the language ability is just an added advantage.’
It is this C-factor – having a sense of how the Chinese mind works – that ultimately makes things work here – or trips them up.
Singaporeans often have to temper their obsession with efficiency and Western-style, strictly logical thinking to do well in China, said those interviewed.
‘Sometimes, a deal may not make business sense if you think purely short-term profits. But if you look at the deal in the longer term, considering the business, political and social context – which the Chinese often do – it would make sense from that perspective,’ said Mr Lim, who has worked on China projects for 11 years.
‘We need to learn how to close these gaps.’
For instance, a Chinese official will be concerned about creating jobs for the people, rather than just maximising profits.
Understanding the motivations and community values of the Chinese certainly helps, said Mr Lim, who grew up in a traditional family of 10 children in Hougang. ‘Many things here happen not purely because of business but out of the Chinese counterpart’s need to take care of one’s family and community.’
All that may apply to business people and civil servants alike, but the latter also face peculiar challenges here.
In particular, Singaporean officials’ standard operating procedure of getting agreements inked in black and white leaves them flummoxed when their Chinese counterparts do not spell everything out, said a Beijing-based civil servant in his 40s who declined to be named.
Officials here have to learn to decipher body language and cultural codes, and the crucial importance of giving ‘face’.
To save ‘face’, the Chinese often speak in a roundabout way, noted BG Chin. ‘You need to listen to the xuan wai zhi yin,’ he said, referring to a Chinese proverb, which means ‘the music beyond the melody’. ‘If you can’t catch the nuances, you miss the gist,’ he added.
The ambassador recalled an incident some years ago, when an angry Singapore official banged the table in a meeting with the party boss of a Chinese city.
He said: ‘Such behaviour on the part of a guest is simply intolerable to the Chinese.
‘It leaves them no face. Si po lian pi (tearing off the face) is a sure way to make an implacable enemy, even if he was a friend.’
Getting immersed
ALL these peculiarities of working with Chinese officialdom can indeed be picked up hands-on, as he did, said Mr Goh.
But the postings of one to two years that Singapore civil servants have are rarely enough to get them fully China-ready, he reckoned.
One way to shorten Singapore officials’ learning curve, said the MP for Joo Chiat, Mr Chan Soo Sen, who worked on the Suzhou Industrial Park in the mid-1990s, is to dispatch them to work on specific projects such as the Tianjin Eco-City and the Knowledge City in Guangzhou.
The task ahead is to recruit more to join their ranks, especially the younger generation of Singaporeans who are willing to spend quite a few years studying or building their careers in China.
Not the top pick
HOWEVER, the mainland has traditionally not been a top pick for Singaporean students.
Since 1993, just 60 Singaporeans have studied in Chinese universities on a Public Service Commission scholarship, compared to thousands who went West.
This year, a bumper crop of 10 – out of 87 scholars – will head to China.
Singapore has only 2,000 students in schools across China, while there are some 60,000 Koreans, more than 20,000 Americans and about 20,000 Japanese.
But BG Chin is hopeful.
‘Singaporeans are a very pragmatic people. The students and their parents understand the growing importance of China. We shouldn’t have too much difficulty persuading them,’ he said.
Even if the Republic is a little behind the curve on this front, he believes that it is better late then never.
His message to interested Singaporeans: ‘Get cracking!’
graceng@sph.com.sg
simcy@sph.com.sg
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