By Kenny Chee

ALTHOUGH he studied Chinese only as a second language in school and used mainly English at university and at work, Mr Lim Ming Yan realised he could quickly bring his Mandarin up to speed after he was posted to China.

This helped the chief executive officer of CapitaLand China Holdings to conduct business more easily there.

"Without a certain proficiency in Chinese, I won't be able to communicate effectively with my staff, business partners and government officials (in China)," he said in an e-mail message.

He is one example of how a sound foundation in Chinese built over years of bilingual education here has helped him do business in China, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew last night at the first-anniversary dinner of Business China, a networking platform for Singaporeans doing business in China.

"If (Singaporeans) do not use the (Chinese) language regularly, they will lose fluency. But the foundation (built) in their early school years will enable them to revive it quickly and widen their vocabulary," Mr Lee said.

He said he met many Singaporeans who did Chinese as a second language and improved their Mandarin after six to 12 months' immersion in China.

He cited a group of Raffles Institution graduates who set up a consultancy business for Chinese companies.

They improved their Chinese vocabulary after a Shanghai stint, thanks to a "basic knowledge of
and fluency in Mandarin".

And being able to speak Mandarin with the Chinese also generates a sense of closeness with them, especially in a social setting.

Said Mr Lee: "If we understand (standard Mandarin) and can read Chinese, we will have direct access to Chinese TV programmes, magazines and newspapers. In this way, we can keep abreast of developments and trends in China."

He noted that Singapore "should not miss the many opportunities to expand (its) businesses in China", given the doors that opened with the recent signing of the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.

He pointed out that China's economy would continue to grow despite the current financial crisis, albeit at a slower pace of 8 per cent, instead of the pre-crisis figure of 12 per cent.

Since China opened up in 1978, Mr Lee has been visiting China almost every year.

Between 1993 and 1994, many Chinese delegations visited Singapore, following a call by the late Chinese strongman Deng Xiaoping for China to "learn from the world, especially Singapore".

China and Singapore have collaborated on several projects, including the Suzhou Industrial Park and Tianjin Eco-city.

This being so, Mr Lee said: "Singapore government-linked companies and Singaporean businessmen are known in China for their reliability and integrity".

Hence, "Singaporeans will find doors open to them in the provinces, cities and towns of China," added Mr Lee.

kennyc@sph.com.sg

Log on to www.razor.tv to watch the full speech delivered by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

For more my paper stories click here.