Sellapan Ramanathan quotes

Sellapan Ramanathan was a distinguished Singaporean statesman who served as the country’s sixth President. Widely respected for his dedication and integrity, he played a pivotal role in Singapore’s political landscape. He is remembered for promoting national unity and representing Singapore on the international stage. Here are 10 of his quotes:

My own perception is that there are two tiers of countries, one, the original ASEAN, and then the new members. The new members are in various stages of development.

Sellapan Ramanathan

We hope that through these trade arrangements, through collaboration in training, in manpower development, and what have you, ASEAN in, say, ten years' time, will be a very different ASEAN.

Sellapan Ramanathan

You are a large country, you have many resources, and you have people who are highly capable.

Sellapan Ramanathan

You are slowly developing some multinationals of your own. We certainly hope that some of them will look in this direction when they look for opportunities because the progress of Southeast Asia is important to China, just as China's progress is important to us.

Sellapan Ramanathan

In the United Nations, when China entered, we voted on the same position, and since then we have maintained the same position, that position has not changed.

Sellapan Ramanathan

We are each other's seventh largest trading partner, we are the fifth largest investor there and likewise, we have a lot of exchanges between political leaders, businessmen, tourists and school children too.

Sellapan Ramanathan

The question of peace, progress and prosperity, it's a motherhood statement, all of us like it.

Sellapan Ramanathan

China also has moved away from its original status of purely producing basic, what you call, consumer commodities and Chinese companies are moving beyond China to various parts of the world.

Sellapan Ramanathan

Well, as you've said, we cannot expect the people of China not to want to progress, so if you have an opportunity to progress, to develop your economy to a world class economy, it's an aspiration that is natural and that, I welcome.

Sellapan Ramanathan