YouSaid · the spoken record

George YEO

lines on the record

109

first

2004-09-24

most recent

2010-09-24

sittings or episodes

7

sources

un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

1. “Later, in 1993, 31 representatives from China and Taiwan met in Singapore for informal talks, with both sides acknowledging, “One China: to each its own interpretation”. All problems seemed soluble then. But, in 1994, Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui gave a shocking interview to a Japanese magazine, describing himself as a Moses leading his people out of Egypt. From then on, cross-straits relations went from bad to worse as pro-independence forces on Taiwan became increasingly adventurous. As in the Middle East, the international community has a strong vested interest in supporting a peaceful resolution of cross-straits conflict, based on the “one China” position that was adopted and settled by the United Nations in 1971. Even when the United Nations has no legal authority to enforce its wishes, its views carry moral weight.”

   2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)

2. “Moreover, the international community should not allow the deteriorating relationship across the Taiwan Straits to spin out of control. The push towards independence by certain groups on Taiwan is most dangerous, because it will lead to war with mainland China and will drag in other countries. The stability of the entire Asia-Pacific region is at stake. Not many years ago, the relationship between the mainland and Taiwan was much better. In 1991, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) — a grouping of economies around the Pacific Ocean — admitted China, Taiwan and Hong Kong on the basis of certain agreed principles. At an APEC meeting in 1992, I remember joining the Trade Ministers of China, Taiwan and Hong Kong for a relaxed lunch in Bangkok.”

   2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)

3. “He said that he would like to visit me in Singapore with his Palestinian counterpart and, together with me, to take a boat to the Singapore industrial park on a nearby Indonesian island, where he hoped that we could all be received by the Indonesian Trade Minister. I was inspired and immediately worked with my Indonesian counterpart on this project of understanding and goodwill. Unfortunately, within half a year, the intifada began and the cycle of violence became steadily worse. It all seems such a long time ago. However, we must never give up. With goodwill and statesmanship on both sides, and with the support of all of us in the international community, it is possible to re-establish trust and to start again.”

   2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)

4. “They help us solve problems which we cannot solve individually and set limits on acceptable behaviour. The problem of Palestine, for example, cannot be solved without the participation of the larger global community. All of us are aware of the rights and wrongs, and sometimes particular issues are right or wrong, depending on our perspective. However, we should never lose hope. We should always look for new and creative ways to break old deadlocks. After all, it was only a few years ago that the prospects for peace seemed so much brighter. I remember when, as Singapore’s Trade Minister, I met the Israeli Trade Minister at Davos in the year 2000.”

   2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)

5. “The slaughter of children at Beslan outraged us all. But will we ever be the same? That is not possible. It is neither in our biological nature nor in the nature of the historical process for human societies to converge and become identical. Even the same society changes over time in response to changing conditions. There is in each and everyone of us a deep desire to be free, to experiment and to be better than others around us. Like all forms of energy, human energy must be channelled so that it is constructive and not destructive. That is the challenge of governance at all levels, from the village all the way to global institutions. With the world becoming a village because of the ease of travel and instant communication, the design of global institutions is very important.”

   2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)

6. “They have to evolve, along with our evolving sense of what is fair and proper. They cannot be imposed. If they are imposed, what we have will not be the Olympics but the gladiatorial pits of the Roman Colosseum. At the most fundamental level, discussions and debates in the United Nations and WTO are really about the values that bind us together as human beings. As the world grows smaller, our sense of interdependence grows. As we interact more, we discover that we are more similar than we think. So many problems like global warming, epidemics and terrorism can only be overcome if we work together. So many new opportunities can only be fully exploited if we combine our efforts. Yes, we have become closer. We celebrated together when for the first time the human genome was mapped a few years ago. We grieved as one on 11 September 2001.”

   2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)

7. “Without the World Trade Organization (WTO), globalization can become a tool with which the strong can dominate the weak, just as in an earlier period entire continents were carved up by imperial Powers. Global organizations like the United Nations and WTO give us hope that this century can be more civilized than previous ones. We need rules that put limits on our competitiveness in the political and economic arenas. As in the Olympic Games, clear rules and their rigorous enforcement enable individuals to compete fiercely and triumph within a framework of sportsmanship and fairness. The rules are not there to dampen our natural competitive spirit, but to direct it towards positive achievement. But the rules have to be determined by common agreement. Their legitimacy is derived from the shared values that bind participants together.”

   2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)

8. “There is in human beings a restless, competitive spirit that strives to get ahead, make discoveries and order or reorder the world according to their values and world-view. It is a drive that can lead to great good or great evil. The greatest evil is often committed out of a sense of self-righteousness. That has been the case throughout history. Al Qaeda carries out its actions in the name of Islam, which is a gross perversion. Religious wars are the most cruel because human beings are maimed and killed in the name of the divine. Ethnic and ideological conflicts sometimes turn 30 genocidal when one side believes that right is completely on its side. Unrestrained economic competition can also lead to grave injustice. Without rules, ruthless economic competition will return us to the jungle.”

   2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)

9. “First, I would like to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Jean Ping of Gabon, on his election as the President of the General Assembly. We meet in New York under conditions of high security. All over the world, Governments, corporations and individuals are allocating vast resources to combat terrorism. The Beslan massacre last month and the Jakarta bombing two weeks ago remind us once again that the war against terrorism is a long struggle. Fighting it requires us to cooperate worldwide. It is also important for us to understand more deeply why terrorists are prepared to sacrifice their own lives to take the lives of others, including those of innocent children. The human condition has not changed.”

   2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)