Chapter 14 Chapter 12 The Contest and Handshake on Lion Island

Like China, Suzhou in 1992 was destined to be a boiling time. One day, the Office of the Director of the Policy Research Office of the Municipal Government. The phone rang suddenly and hurriedly. "Hello, who is it?" Director Zhou Zhifang asked as soon as he picked up the phone, and immediately understood the other party's voice, "It's the mayor! What's the matter?" "Old Zhou, do it right away and prepare something about Singapore." Mayor Zhang Xinsheng ordered. "Singapore? Okay, I'll organize people to do it right away." Zhou Zhifang put down the phone and couldn't help muttering: What does the mayor want the materials from Singapore for?

"I heard that we are going to do business with Singaporeans," a colleague said to him. This was later confirmed by Zhou Zhifang. "I prepared for nearly three months and prepared a copy of Singapore's relevant materials for the mayor. It is divided into three parts: one is the overall situation of Singapore's 30-year sustainable economic development; the other is the People's Action Party's 'one-party system' in power The third is the characteristics of strict management in Singapore. Judging from its social status, it is easier for us to learn than Western developed countries such as the United States and Japan. Later, Mayor Zhang wanted to leave my material.” Zhou Zhifang was accepting me Said so during the interview.

Regarding Lee Hsien Loong's expressed willingness to invest in Suzhou after his arrival in Suzhou, Mayor Zhang Xinsheng once reported to the Municipal Party Committee.For this matter, Zhang Xinsheng once suffered a lot, and later went to Nanjing to find Gao Dezheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and executive vice governor who went out of Suzhou. "Zhang came to me, and I was a little embarrassed, so I asked Governor Chen Huanyou, and he said you can do it. I said to Zhang Xinsheng: Well, you invite Lee Kuan Yew to visit China and ask him to talk to the leaders of our country. And gave Zhang some other ideas..." More than ten years later, when I interviewed Comrade Gao Dezheng, he said this.

In late September of this year, Singaporean Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew visited China again.He held talks with General Secretary Jiang Zemin at Diaoyutai in Beijing, and proposed to visit Wuxi and Suzhou in Jiangsu.Jiang Zemin said that Li Zizheng is very welcome to visit Jiangsu, and he can visit a few more places.Lee Kuan Yew happily accepted Jiang Zemin's suggestion, but he still said that this time he mainly visited Wuxi and Suzhou. He explained that he wanted to build a "Singapore" in China.He also said that after Comrade Deng Xiaoping's speech on the southern tour, too many Chinese officials visited Singapore and could not receive them. It is better to simply adopt the Singapore model.Jiang Zemin was very happy after hearing this, saying that we support Senior Minister Li's idea.

Jiangsu Province soon received a notice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Mr. Lee Kuan Yew and his party were coming to Jiangsu. "Let me go to welcome Singaporean guests!" Chen Huanyou, the governor of Jiangsu Province at the time, had long wanted to learn from Lee Kuan Yew about Singapore's economic development experience, so after receiving the news, he immediately made a request to the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee. On September 30, Chen Huanyou took the Secretary-General of the Provincial Government and the Director of the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office to Shuofang Airport in Wuxi to receive Lee Kuan Yew, Wang Dingchang and others.

The arrangements for Lee Kuan Yew and his party in Wuxi and Suzhou were very tight, less than two days in total.Governor Chen Huanyou was thoughtful and specially rented an extended Mercedes-Benz car from Shanghai. "This not only relieved the travel fatigue of the guests, but also provided convenience for me and Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew to watch and talk at the same time. There were 6 people in the car, and Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew sat in the middle of the back row. Mrs. Lee and I were in his On both sides of the park, there are interpreters in the middle row, and drivers and guards in the front row. While I accompanied Lee Kuan Yew on the tour, I took the time to chat with him and asked him many problems encountered in the modernization construction. He also learned about Jiangsu from me. Province, especially Suzhou and Wuxi's economic and social development, the two sides talked deeply and were full of interest. In the gardens of Suzhou, we discussed topics of mutual interest while admiring the beautiful scenery of the south of the Yangtze River." Chen Huanyou recalled in the article Recalling the scene in this way, "At last, I held a farewell banquet for the Singaporean guests at the Zhuhui Hotel in Suzhou. During the banquet, the guests and hosts talked happily and the atmosphere was warm. At the time of parting, in the name of the governor, I invited Lee Kuan Yew, Wang Dingchang and others next year. 1993) visited the beautiful Suzhou again when the spring blossoms, and discussed the possibility of cooperation between the two sides. Lee Kuan Yew gladly accepted..."

The visit to Jiangsu by the Singapore guests is only two days, but it is extremely important, because it is Lee Kuan Yew, Wang Dingchang, and Lee Hsien Loong, the three decision-makers who decided to choose a site in China to build the Singapore Park.During this visit, Lee Kuan Yew was deeply impressed by a detail that the leaders of Jiangsu and Wuxi, including Chen Huanyou, did not know. impression-- Lee Kuan Yew looked at Zhang Xinsheng with admiration, and suddenly asked: "Your English is very good! But how long can a mayor like you who can speak English stay in the post of mayor?"

Zhang Xinsheng was puzzled for a while, "May I ask what Senior Li means..." Lee Kuan Yew said with a smile: "I know that your good cadres will generally be promoted after working in one place for two or three years." Zhang Xinsheng immediately understood what the other party meant, and said, "I, the mayor, may be an exception, because I came down from Beijing to be the mayor. It won't be so fast to leave!" Lee Kuan Yew smiled, changed the subject, and asked, "Your Suzhou is a regional city, do you have the right to make decisions? If we put the China-Singapore cooperation project here, how capable are you to put it in Suzhou?"

Zhang Xinsheng was a little excited. This was the first time he had heard from Singapore's "top leader" in more than a year that the project might be "dropped to Suzhou". "I can report to the central government. I was the deputy director of the National Tourism Administration , I will try my best!" Lee Kuan Yew smiled, very happily.So the old and the young kept talking, starting from the Zhuhui Hotel in the ancient city of Suzhou, and on the way to the Suzhou Railway Station with the extended "Mercedes-Benz", and it never stopped. They were chatting enthusiastically as if no one else was there... The train bound for Shanghai came into the station, and Lee Kuan Yew and his party boarded the carriage. Suddenly, Lee Kuan Yew, who had already stepped into the aisle of the train, turned around, stepped out of the train, and proposed a very specific proposal to the young mayor of Suzhou. Question: "Is there an international airport in Suzhou?" "Yes. Shanghai's Hongqiao Airport is 90 kilometers east of Suzhou!" The mayor of Suzhou replied to Singaporean guests again in fluent English.At this moment, Lee Kuan Yew thoughtfully walked back to the carriage...

This time, the Singaporean guests did not return directly to China, but diverted to Hong Kong.At that time, the global economic situation was undergoing drastic changes. The "Four Tigers" in Southeast Asia, known for their processing industry, and Japan were undergoing a major industrial transfer. Every small action between them would have an impact in Southeast Asia and even the world.During this period, China's recovery and transformation have attracted great attention from all over the world.The visits of the three main leaders of Singapore to China's developed regions have naturally aroused special attention from all parties.

"Mayor, good news! Good news!" The day after Lee Kuan Yew left Suzhou, Suzhou's foreign affairs department brought a Hong Kong newspaper to report to Mayor Zhang Xinsheng, "As soon as Vice Premier Wang Dingchang arrived in Hong Kong, he held a press conference and said It was a long speech, which said that Wuxi and Suzhou were going to build a 'model city'. It is estimated that the sensitive economic authorities all over the world know this news!" "Did he say that? We want to build a 'model city' in Wuxi and Suzhou?" Zhang Xinsheng asked the secretary while getting dressed. "That's what he said. He said it on behalf of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. It seems that we have something to do this time!" the secretary said excitedly. "It's far away!" Zhang Xinsheng shook his head, as if he didn't believe it. "How could it be? Mr. Lee Kuan Yew is a person who cares about face, so he won't go back on what he said!" "Didn't you understand, what he said was in Wuxi and Suzhou, didn't he say it was in Suzhou?" "this……" "He didn't say that he died in Suzhou, which means that this big project may be a pie hanging in the air for us." Zhang Xinsheng buttoned up, and then said to the secretary: "You immediately notify Zhou Zhifang and others to come to my office. I have something to discuss with them." "OK!" "Obviously, Singaporeans are choosing between us and Wuxi. This is the biggest challenge for us in Suzhou. Now we must come up with a plan to make Singaporean Lee Kuan Yew turn their attention to our Suzhou and never leave. If we leave, we are losers! We must not be losers! Otherwise, we will not be able to explain to the people of Suzhou! The Singapore-China cooperation project is of great significance. If Suzhou loses this project, we may be the historical sinners of Suzhou!" Zhang Xinsheng said At the meeting of several cadres of the city government, they spoke very emphatically. "Not at all. It's not like we haven't recruited investors in Suzhou before. One missing Singapore project is just a piece of braised pork!" Someone said. "Wrong! This project is not an ordinary foreign investment project. If it succeeds, it will definitely have a profound impact on the economic development of Suzhou and even China." Zhang Xinsheng said, referring to a project he saw in Paris, France more than a year ago. The economic development model of the ancient capital city has taught the subordinates a lesson, "Today's Suzhou is a bit like Paris back then. If we break free from the shackles of the old city, open up an industrial area on the edge of the city, and then introduce Singapore's experience Come on, in this way, our new Suzhou will really have wings..." "Then we have to seize all possibilities and fight against the Wuxi brothers!" "Oh, I'm afraid it's difficult to handle! Our Secretary Wang Minsheng is from Wuxi, and he is also the old secretary of Wuxi County. Now we are robbing the Wuxi brothers for meat, and it is difficult for him." Someone suddenly raised a trivial matter. question. Zhang Xinsheng poked the man's arm, "What level do you think our secretary Wang is? He is now the secretary of the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee, and he can't turn his arms outward." "Hee hee, I was just talking!" This is all said and done, but it is not very easy for Singaporeans to put cooperation projects in Suzhou.People in Suzhou know that people in Wuxi are also determined to win.If you compete with such an opponent for a project, you may lose if you fail. Suzhou people are secretly anxious, but it is useless to be anxious, they have to find a way and look for opportunities. The opportunity came: at the end of this year, when Zhang Xinsheng and Wang Jinhua, the person in charge of the already launched "Suzhou High-tech Zone", were preparing to go to London, England to attract business, the invitation letter from the Singapore government also came to Suzhou. "What should I do?" Wang Jinhua asked Mayor Zhang Xinsheng. "Needless to say! Let's put aside the matter in London, we will go to Singapore immediately. I heard that people from Wuxi are one step ahead of us, and have already signed contracts with some entrepreneurs from Singapore! We must act immediately!" Zhang Xinsheng said. "But our visa is for England..." "It's easy!" Zhang Xinsheng, a former deputy director of the National Tourism Administration, immediately came up with a trick, "Hurry up and send an urgent letter to the governor to change the visa, and ask him to approve our trip to two destinations: the United Kingdom and Singapore." "it is good." Governor Chen Huanyou knew that Suzhou people were thinking about the Singapore project. As the governor, he was naturally looking forward to getting the Sino-Singapore project into the hands of Jiangsu.As for whether it fell into the hands of Wuxi people or Suzhou people, he didn't care much.What matters is that this project cannot be taken away by another province.Governor Chen has already learned from relevant parties that the leaders of a certain province are also "acting". They sent a heavyweight delegation to Singapore to lobby, trying to snatch Jiangsu's "good things" away! "I've approved it, you act immediately! Try to negotiate!" Governor Chen's instructions to Suzhou Zhang Xinsheng and the others were a bit like military orders. The Suzhou people diverted to Singapore and immediately started the "warm-up exercise"-they first visited the first generation of leaders in Singapore, and then visited the second and third generations of leaders.Among them, Vice Premier Wang Dingchang was the veteran Zhang Xinsheng and the others visited first, because this trip to Singapore was also obtained at the invitation of Wang Dingchang, who was the most active in putting cooperation projects in Suzhou this time.The enthusiasm and friendliness of Vice Premier Wang Dingchang also moved Suzhou people very much. At eight o'clock on the first morning when Zhang Xinsheng and his party arrived in Singapore, Vice Premier Wang Dingchang waited for Suzhou people at the Bird Park and had breakfast together. "When we arrived in Singapore, Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew was in Hong Kong, and it was an exception for the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore to come out to meet us, because at that time, there were dozens or dozens of provincial and ministerial-level cadres in our domestic provinces. Only ministerial-level officials came to meet us, and our treatment is obviously unusual." Zhou Zhifang, director of the Policy Research Office of the Suzhou Municipal Government, was the "pencil" of the visiting group, so he said. This time, Zhang Xinsheng and his party also visited Singapore's third-generation leaders such as Yang Rongwen and Lim Ruisheng. They are all young and energetic like Lee Hsien Loong. Like Yang Rongwen, Minister of Culture and Deputy Minister of Defense, they are powerful figures.The Director of the Economic and Development Bureau, Lim Swee Sang, was originally the chief representative of Singapore on economic issues in the United States.For the cooperation project with China, Lee Kuan Yew specially transferred him back to China to study the cooperation between the two countries.But what puzzled Zhang Xinsheng and his party was that the visit to Singapore became more and more indifferent as the time went on.This made Suzhou people very anxious, afraid that things would go wrong.The situation at that time was: I heard that Singapore had a big project to cooperate with China, and various provinces and cities in China sent officials to keep an eye on Singapore, and some provinces even competed with Suzhou people at all costs.In addition to China's own competition, there are also some developing countries competing with Suzhou.Various political, diplomatic, ethnic, and regional relations have all been mixed together, which has made the Singapore leadership a little overwhelmed.Compared with big provinces and certain countries, Suzhou’s advantages were much inferior. At that time, apart from “little bridges and flowing water” and famous historical and cultural cities, Suzhou at that time seemed to have nothing special to attract people. Advantage.Zhang Xinsheng and his party knew this in their hearts, so when there was a cold atmosphere in Singapore, they were very nervous and vigilant. "What should we do? We can't come here for nothing! Besides, we are here at the invitation of Vice Premier Wang Dingchang. He is the Vice Premier of a country, so he must take us seriously!" Some of the Suzhou people lost their temper. All eyes were fixed on Mayor Zhang Xinsheng.Zhang Xinsheng, who had always been unrestrained and lively, was also a little wilted this time. He looked at Wang Jinhua, the star of wisdom, expecting some tricks. "We still go to Wang Dingchang, he may tell us some useful information, and then we will make the next step." Wang Jinhua said. "Okay, do as Jinhua wants. Old Zhou, you can go to Wang's secretary to get in touch and find out about the situation." Zhang Xinsheng said to Zhou Zhifang. "Okay, I'll contact Secretary Pan immediately." Pan Xianhao, Wang Dingchang's secretary, quickly responded: "Vice Prime Minister Wang Dingchang said, you'd better come up with a plan first, and see where our Sino-Singapore cooperation project is placed in your Suzhou." "How can this be done? We didn't even bring a map of Suzhou with us!" "Tell the family immediately and let them send a map of Suzhou!" Zhang Xinsheng ordered. This is not difficult.The family immediately uploaded the map of Suzhou.Zhang Xinsheng called the four colleagues together, and drew circles with a pen on the tea table of the hotel to draw four places.The first block is the one to the west of the newly built Suzhou High-tech Zone, because it has been identified as the industrial development zone of the new urban area; the second block is the Huangdai area in Wu County, which is the nearest suburb to the urban area; the third block is The first block is to the north of Suzhou Railway Station. One of the important reasons is the convenient transportation (there were few expressways in Suzhou at that time, only the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway in the east); People think it is the most impossible, because the lakes there are water-tight and low-lying, and the investment cost for development is too high.However, Singaporeans have taken a fancy to this rotten land, and Wang Dingchang himself has taken a fancy to this place. He had seen this land when he and Lee Kuan Yew were in Suzhou a few months ago, and he once asked Suzhou people how far it is from Shanghai.Zhang Xinsheng and the others included the Jinji Lake area in view of the above situation, while the other three areas are hilly and mountainous areas in the west of the city, with low development costs.Suzhou people have their own calculations. In the few days after the draft made on the coffee table was handed over to Wang Dingchang, there was no news from Singapore.People in Suzhou wanted to find out about the situation through their relationship. The news from the feedback was that the tone of the Singapore side was getting lower and lower.Some people even complained that "if I had known this earlier, I might as well not have come."There is only one day left for the delegation's visit. "It's unclear, at least there should be a 'statement' from both parties!" Wang Jinhua suggested. "Yeah, we can't let us just go back in despair!" someone echoed. "Old Zhou, you can contact them to see their opinions." It was still Zhou Zhifang's task. Singapore responded, "Is this necessary?" The Suzhou people were completely discouraged, "Doesn't this mean blowing out the lights completely!" "Go, go home!" Zhang Xinsheng was also angry, and waved his hand, telling everyone to go back to their rooms to pack their luggage and prepare to return home. After packing their luggage, the accompanying people gathered together to play poker, cursing while playing. "Are you Mr. Zhou? I'm Secretary Pan, can you come tonight?" Suddenly, the phone in the room rang, and it happened to be Zhou Zhifang who answered the phone. "It's me. Tonight...do you have anything to do?" Zhou Zhifang suppressed his dissatisfaction and asked Wang Dingchang's secretary. "Can we talk about something like a written joint announcement..." The other party said kindly a piece of news that surprised the people of Suzhou. "What, what, you said you want to make a joint announcement? This..." Zhou Zhifang immediately held down the phone and whispered to the poker players, "Quickly ask Mayor Zhang for instructions, he wants to sign a joint announcement with us!" "Do you still need to ask for instructions? Answer him immediately: let's go!" Wang Jinhua threw the playing cards and said immediately. "All right. Secretary Pan, I'll go to your place right away!" Zhou Zhifang also got emotional and said loudly into the phone. "Mayor, there is good news!" After arriving at Zhang Xinsheng's room, Zhou Zhifang conveyed Secretary Pan's words, and Zhang Xinsheng muttered in a strange way: "What do they mean? They have been refusing us for the past few days, and now..." "You didn't notice that Lee Kuan Yew returned from Hong Kong!" Zhou Zhifang said. Zhang Xinsheng reacted very quickly, with a smile on his face immediately: It must be a new turning point for our cooperation within the senior management of Singapore. "Okay, you go to meet Secretary Pan right away! This time, you must hold on tight!" "yes!" Next, several people from Suzhou got together to draft the "Joint Announcement"... After the completion, Zhang Xinsheng said to Zhou Zhifang: "You must invite Vice Premier Wang Dingchang and Secretary Pan to have a bowl of Ningbo glutinous rice balls together." "Why?" Zhou Zhifang was a little puzzled. Zhang Xinsheng smiled: "The glutinous rice balls have sugar, give them some sweets to eat..." "Understood." Just like that, Zhou Zhifang took the drafted "Joint Announcement" and hurried to see Secretary Pan. Secretary Pan took over the draft of the "Joint Announcement", and after reading it, he smiled and said, "It can be considered, and I will hand it over to Vice Premier Wang and the others for study." Then, Secretary Pan did not leave immediately, but sat down quietly and chatted with Zhou Zhifang . "Your land lease period is 70 years. We talked with other places, and they are all 90 years, and some even add 70 to 70..." Secretary Pan said to Zhou Zhifang. Obviously, Pan is testing Suzhou on behalf of Xin Fang.This is a major event, which is related to a "city policy" of the local government, and it is impossible to ask for instructions.Zhou Zhifang thought of the "Shangfang Sword" given to him by Mayor Zhang before he left--some sweet words for them, so he boldly said: "Don't worry, we said 70 years, but we didn't say that we can't continue to cooperate after 70 years." !" The other party nodded, and expressed doubts: "Although the China-New Zealand cooperation project is a matter between two countries, you are an act of the state after all, but all of our investment is private money. If there is a problem in the future, who will arbitrate?" Zhou said: "Since it is a great cooperation between countries, I think we can seek international arbitration institutions to resolve certain issues." The other party: "Your land prices are high. We didn't put the project in Shanghai because their land prices are too high." This is another deadly topic. Zhou Zhifang has already seen the other party's doubts and heard the other party's implication. Zhou said: "The price can be negotiated again! I think as long as we negotiate within the legal framework, we will get a satisfactory result for both parties." The other party followed closely and asked, "Is it about 400,000 yuan per mu?" Zhou was very clear about this situation, and he immediately replied: "No way, we are about 200,000." The other party smiled with satisfaction, stood up, and said: "Okay, Mr. Zhou, you go back to the hotel first, and I will promptly inform you of our country's decision in the shortest possible time." "Thank you!" Zhou Zhifang sincerely squeezed Secretary Pan's hand. After Zhou Zhifang returned to the residence of the delegation and reported the situation to Mayor Zhang Xinsheng and others, everyone was excited and waited for the last news from Singapore. "Come on, let's play a few more games!" Someone happily picked up the old "K" card again and threw it up. "Ding Ling..." In the middle of the night, the phone rang again suddenly.Zhou Zhifang almost jumped and ran over to grab the phone, "Hi, it's Secretary Pan! I'm Zhou Zhifang...Okay, okay! I'll definitely tell Mayor Zhang! Thank you! Thank you Secretary Pan!" "How is it? Is it done?" Zhang Xinsheng already knew from Zhou Zhifang's expression that something good was about to happen, but when Zhou Zhifang told everyone what Secretary Pan said on the phone, several members of the Suzhou delegation were still ecstatic For a while! Zhou said: "Secretary Pan told me to ask Mayor Zhang to sign with Vice Premier Wang Dingchang tomorrow afternoon! In addition, let Mayor Zhang prepare to go to Lee Kuan Yew tonight, and their Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew will personally finalize the cooperation project with our Mayor Zhang!" "Haha... that's great! That's great!" "Oh, what time is it now! Is it tonight or tomorrow night?" Suddenly, Mayor Zhang Xinsheng yelled, and he tore his messy clothes and said anxiously. "Tonight, of course! Look, it's more than an hour before zero o'clock tomorrow, and I was told clearly: I invited you to meet Lee Kuan Yew tonight!" Zhou Zhifang confirmed. "My God, it's only a few minutes! You, you guys... hurry up and help me get ready! I can't go to see Senior Li with disheveled hair like this!" Zhang Xinsheng, the mayor who has always been very particular, is also like a headless chicken at this time , grabbing things all over the room, saying, "I can't go alone! For such a big event, there should be a third person present. Who is right to go? You guys definitely can't! Yes, call immediately Please ask our Ambassador Zhang to accompany me. He is our country's ambassador to New Zealand, and he is the most suitable! Call the embassy quickly!" Wang Jinhua and others sorted the clothes of Mayor Zhang Xinsheng, while Zhou Zhifang picked up the phone and immediately called the embassy. More than 40 minutes later, Zhang Xinsheng and Ambassador Zhang arrived at the mansion of Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew as scheduled.As soon as they met, Lee Kuan Yew stood up excitedly and said loudly: "Our People's Action Party is initially willing to cooperate with you." Both Zhang Xinsheng and Ambassador Zhang were somewhat surprised and surprised by Lee Kuan Yew's attitude tonight.Because Lee Kuan Yew, who has always been gentle and polite, was very excited from the very beginning tonight, and even slapped the table while saying, "I, Lee Kuan Yew, will use my last political life to firmly support this project! You can report this to your central leadership immediately!" " This time, Zhang Xinsheng took a "reassurance". When he brought Lee Kuan Yew's highest decision in Singapore back to the hotel, several Suzhou people were already so tired that they "whispered" into a sound sleep. "Old Zhou, get up! Get up—" Zhou Zhifang, director of the policy research office of the municipal government, must be the most unlucky one at such a time. "Old Zhou, get up! Get up and work!" Zhang Xinsheng "kicked" Zhou Zhifang awake, "Immediately send a fax to Secretary Wang at home, and then send a telegram to our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking them to send Minister Lee Kuan Yew's Opinion Report Central!" "What did Lee Kuan Yew say?" Seeing Zhang Xinsheng so excited, Zhou Zhifang and the others knew that things had completely changed for the better, but they still wanted to hear how good it was. "Hey, want to hear it? If you want to hear it, let the hotel get you a bowl of noodles first!" Zhang Xinsheng laughed.For a while, while eating noodles, he said to Wang Jinhua and the others in the delegation: "The matter is not over yet. We need to find out why the new side is willing to invest in China and Suzhou." So the next day, with the help of the embassy, ​​the Suzhou people started the intense "intelligence" gathering work after their visas were delayed.They split up to find friends in Singapore who have good relations with China, including domestic and Singaporean friends, to understand and analyze Singapore, especially Lee Kuan Yew's true intention of "going his own way to put the project in China". According to Lee Kuan Yew, Deng Xiaoping, and Jiang Zemin in Beijing, Singapore's investment projects in China are called "learning from Singapore's economic development and public administration experience", referred to as "Singapore software", which is a transplant of national management experience and form, Lee Kuan Yew The proposed project funding is $20 billion. 20 billion dollars!How much is it equal to RMB?At that time, the ratio of RMB to US dollar was 1:8, which was equivalent to more than 160 billion RMB!Such a large foreign-funded project was not only the largest among the international cooperation projects at that time, but it was also very shocking!So, what is the purpose of the new party to invest funds in China? Of course the Suzhou people want to understand clearly, and of course the Chinese high-level officials also want to understand.Although the situation at that time has changed a lot compared to the domestic situation before Deng Xiaoping’s southern tour speech, the once raucous debate between “surname capital and surname society” and “traitor and patriotism” still remains in the minds or actions of some people. There are traces, let alone such a large investment in Singapore, is there any "conspiracy"?Is there any intention to bring down China?Suzhou people are secretly happy that the project may fall into their own hands, but at the same time they are very worried about political risks and national security risks. The final intelligence: Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, was too conscious of a national crisis after Iraq invaded Kuwait.The People's Action Party he led held meetings almost every day during that period, and concluded that Singapore would definitely become the second Kuwait without special precautionary awareness and measures. "A small country can't be too rich. We can't put all our money in the country. We should seek space for development abroad, otherwise Singapore will have no future!" It is said that Lee Kuan Yew issued such a deafening warning at the highest level of the People's Action Party.It is precisely in view of this sense of crisis that they decided to "move" Singapore's development model out. "Move" to where?The final conclusion is that China is the most ideal.One is that China is so big that there is no limit to its potential.Second, China is developing and the rate of return is high.The third is that China also has aspirations - Deng Xiaoping took a fancy to Singapore's management experience and economic development model, and its leadership is reliable.There is another very important point: China and Singapore are both Confucian cultures, and it is very convenient to communicate with each other. So why choose Sunan instead of other places?The situation at that time was: in the Northeast and Shandong areas, the Koreans and Japanese got involved; in Guangdong and the Pearl River Delta, the Taiwanese came first.Now the best piece left is the Yangtze River Delta!If you don't get involved, someone in Europe may take the lead.Land prices in Shanghai are too expensive.The Suzhou area is the most ideal. Suzhou has good connections, not to mention the natural scenery. The key is that Suzhou has a profound cultural heritage and a historical tradition of promoting business, harmonizing business, and being pro-business.The thinking results of Lee Kuan Yew and Singapore's top leaders are basically based on the above reasons. The people of Suzhou knew it well, and the top Chinese leaders understood better: Singapore and Lee Kuan Yew had no "conspiracy", only an "overt conspiracy" to seek to save the country and a strong desire for friendly coexistence with China. It's worth it!It's a fool not to do it! This is a close cooperation between two East Asian countries with very similar cultural backgrounds. It is a matter between "relatives", and it is useless for other countries to suffer.For this reason, Lee Kuan Yew and Singapore have always been one of the most trustworthy international friends and friendly countries in the minds of 1.3 billion Chinese people.