Govt says he has been working with a foreign govt to influence Republic's foreign policy
By Royston Sim, Assistant Political Editor, The Straits Times, 5 Aug 2017
• Huang Jing engaged prominent Singaporeans and gave them what he said was “privileged information” to influence their opinions in favour of that country
• He gave privileged information to LKYSPP senior member, who conveyed this to very senior public officials in position to direct Singapore’s foreign policy
A well-known academic from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) had his permanent residency cancelled yesterday and will be expelled for working with a foreign government to influence Singapore's foreign policy and public opinion.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said Dr Huang Jing, 60, and his wife, Ms Shirley Yang Xiuping, will be permanently banned from Singapore, in what is the first publicly known case of its kind in nearly 20 years.
It said in a statement that Dr Huang has been identified as "an agent of influence of a foreign country" who worked with intelligence organisations and agents from that country, which it did not name.
Dr Huang was director of the Centre on Asia and Globalisation and Lee Foundation Professor on US-China relations at the LKY School, and his views on China and foreign policy issues were regularly sought by organisations and the media. Besides writing for Singapore newspapers, he also contributed articles to China's Global Times, a newspaper closely linked to the country's government.
He and his wife were born in China and are now US citizens.
"Huang used his senior position in the LKY School to deliberately and covertly advance the agenda of a foreign country at Singapore's expense. He did this in collaboration with foreign intelligence agents," said the ministry. "This amounts to subversion and foreign interference in Singapore's domestic politics. Huang's continued presence in Singapore, and that of his wife, are therefore undesirable."
The Controller of Immigration has cancelled their entry and re-entry permits, MHA said.
It noted Ms Yang was aware of her husband using his position to advance a foreign country's agenda.
Dr Huang had engaged prominent and influential Singaporeans, providing them with what he claimed was "privileged information" about the foreign country to influence their opinions in favour of that country, the ministry said.
He also recruited others to aid his operations, it added.
It also said Dr Huang gave supposedly "privileged information" to a senior member of the LKY School so that it could be passed on to the Government. "The information was duly conveyed by that senior member of the LKYSPP to very senior public officials who were in a position to direct Singapore's foreign policy.
"The clear intention was to use the information to cause the Singapore Government to change its foreign policy."
The Government, however, declined to act on the information.
When asked, the ministry declined to name the country or senior LKY School official.
It said Dr Huang and his wife can appeal to the Home Affairs Minister under Section 14(6) of the Immigration Act. They will have to leave Singapore within a grace period if their appeals are unsuccessful.
The LKY School is part of the National University of Singapore, whose spokesman yesterday said the matter is of serious concern, and Dr Huang has been suspended without pay with immediate effect. She said he can no longer work here as his permits have been cancelled.
Dr Huang told the South China Morning Post he had been notified by the Government, but said: "It is nonsense to identify me as 'an agent of influence' for a foreign country. And why didn't they identify which foreign country they are referring to? Is it the US or China?"
He said he would seek help from his lawyer and the US Embassy here, adding that he had not been given a deadline to leave.
Elaborating later, Dr Huang said he was asked to go to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority at 11am yesterday, where he was told he had seven days to appeal to MHA.
He added that he was having dinner at Grand Shanghai Restaurant in Havelock Road with his wife and a friend when someone called her to say that information about their expulsion had gone public.
By Royston Sim, Assistant Political Editor, The Straits Times, 5 Aug 2017
• Huang Jing engaged prominent Singaporeans and gave them what he said was “privileged information” to influence their opinions in favour of that country
• He gave privileged information to LKYSPP senior member, who conveyed this to very senior public officials in position to direct Singapore’s foreign policy
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said Dr Huang Jing, 60, and his wife, Ms Shirley Yang Xiuping, will be permanently banned from Singapore, in what is the first publicly known case of its kind in nearly 20 years.
It said in a statement that Dr Huang has been identified as "an agent of influence of a foreign country" who worked with intelligence organisations and agents from that country, which it did not name.
Dr Huang was director of the Centre on Asia and Globalisation and Lee Foundation Professor on US-China relations at the LKY School, and his views on China and foreign policy issues were regularly sought by organisations and the media. Besides writing for Singapore newspapers, he also contributed articles to China's Global Times, a newspaper closely linked to the country's government.
He and his wife were born in China and are now US citizens.
"Huang used his senior position in the LKY School to deliberately and covertly advance the agenda of a foreign country at Singapore's expense. He did this in collaboration with foreign intelligence agents," said the ministry. "This amounts to subversion and foreign interference in Singapore's domestic politics. Huang's continued presence in Singapore, and that of his wife, are therefore undesirable."
The Controller of Immigration has cancelled their entry and re-entry permits, MHA said.
It noted Ms Yang was aware of her husband using his position to advance a foreign country's agenda.
Dr Huang had engaged prominent and influential Singaporeans, providing them with what he claimed was "privileged information" about the foreign country to influence their opinions in favour of that country, the ministry said.
He also recruited others to aid his operations, it added.
It also said Dr Huang gave supposedly "privileged information" to a senior member of the LKY School so that it could be passed on to the Government. "The information was duly conveyed by that senior member of the LKYSPP to very senior public officials who were in a position to direct Singapore's foreign policy.
"The clear intention was to use the information to cause the Singapore Government to change its foreign policy."
The Government, however, declined to act on the information.
When asked, the ministry declined to name the country or senior LKY School official.
It said Dr Huang and his wife can appeal to the Home Affairs Minister under Section 14(6) of the Immigration Act. They will have to leave Singapore within a grace period if their appeals are unsuccessful.
The LKY School is part of the National University of Singapore, whose spokesman yesterday said the matter is of serious concern, and Dr Huang has been suspended without pay with immediate effect. She said he can no longer work here as his permits have been cancelled.
Dr Huang told the South China Morning Post he had been notified by the Government, but said: "It is nonsense to identify me as 'an agent of influence' for a foreign country. And why didn't they identify which foreign country they are referring to? Is it the US or China?"
He said he would seek help from his lawyer and the US Embassy here, adding that he had not been given a deadline to leave.
Elaborating later, Dr Huang said he was asked to go to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority at 11am yesterday, where he was told he had seven days to appeal to MHA.
He added that he was having dinner at Grand Shanghai Restaurant in Havelock Road with his wife and a friend when someone called her to say that information about their expulsion had gone public.
NUS suspends LKY School professor Huang Jing whose PR was cancelled
University cooperating fully with MHA and does not tolerate acts of foreign interference
By Royston Sim, Assistant Political Editor and Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 5 Aug 2017
The National University of Singapore (NUS) has suspended academic Huang Jing without pay with immediate effect, while the university works with the Home Affairs Ministry on the matter.
A spokesman said that his employment at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy was conditional on him having the necessary work permits.
Dr Huang, who had his permanent residency cancelled, can thus no longer work here.
"As these permits have been cancelled, we would not be able to continue with his employment," the spokesman said.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced that it had permanently banned him and his wife Shirley Yang Xiuping from Singapore, and cancelled their PR status. It said that Dr Huang had worked with intelligence organisations and agents from a foreign country to influence Singapore's foreign policy and public opinion.
The 60-year-old was also the director of the Centre on Asia and Globalisation and Lee Foundation Professor on US-China relations at the LKY School.
The NUS spokesman said the matter is of serious concern, and it is cooperating fully with MHA.
"NUS does not tolerate such acts of foreign interference, even as we continue to value and uphold the diverse and international character of our university," she said.
Associate Professor Bilveer Singh, from the NUS Department of Political Science, said Singapore's policy of staying open to the world means "all kinds of elements" can enter the country, including its academic institutions.
He warned that the current incident is "the tip of the iceberg", and said the country has to exercise vigilance.
"Singapore is an influential soft power country - that is why people would want to influence us," he added. "If we are not careful, we will unwittingly become victims of agents of influence who want to do us in."
MP Vikram Nair, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign Affairs, said the case is a reminder that "espionage is a reality of life".
On the attempts to influence Singapore's foreign policy, he said: "It is a back-handed compliment that Singapore's opinions actually matter, that we are well respected on the world stage."
Associate Professor Antonio Rappa, who heads the management and security studies programme at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, drew parallels between this incident and the Hendrickson affair in 1988.
In that case, Mr E. Mason Hendrickson, first secretary of the United States Embassy, was expelled from Singapore for interfering in local politics.
On why foreign powers want to try and influence Singapore's foreign policy, Prof Rappa noted that Singapore has been punching above its weight.
"For small countries to survive, we need to be seen and heard. Singapore, despite being tiny, is always on the radar, so people would want to influence us," he said.
Cases of foreign countries employing agents of influence are not uncommon, said Associate Professor Bernard Loo of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. "These things happen not just between enemies, but also between friends."
EIGHT THINGS ABOUT LKY SCHOOL PROFESSOR BANNED FROM SINGAPORE
EXPERT ON CHINA POLITICS
Dr Huang Jing, who was banned permanently from Singapore yesterday, is an academic known for his expert views on China's politics and foreign policy, as well as US-China relations.
US CITIZEN WHO WORKED AT NUS
Until the ban, Dr Huang, a United States citizen who was born in 1956, was the Lee Foundation Professor on US-China relations at the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School), where he also headed the Centre on Asia and Globalisation.
LONG LIST OF ACHIEVEMENTS
His curriculum vitae, available on the LKY School's website, chronicles a long list of achievements in academia and the study of international relations.
He has authored three books and many journal articles, book chapters and policy papers on China's politics, development strategy and foreign policy, as well as US-China relations, China's military and security issues in the Asia-Pacific.
HEAD OF PROJECTS
Dr Huang, who received his PhD in government from Harvard University in 1995, spearheaded a number of projects while at the LKY School.
These include a consortium studying the development of Russia's far east, an effort that involves leading think-tanks from such countries as Russia, China, Japan and Singapore.
He also chaired projects studying China-India relations, and the energy policies of China, Japan and the US.
NEWSPAPER COMMENTATOR
Dr Huang is also a frequent commentator in the Singapore media, including The Straits Times and Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao.
His latest commentary for The Straits Times, published in June, was on the interdependence of the US and China.
SITS ON BOARDS
Besides his academic work, Dr Huang is on the board of several organisations, including Keppel Land.
He is on the steering committee of the NUS Research Institute in Suzhou as well.
STINTS IN HARVARD, STANFORD
Before joining the LKY School, Dr Huang lectured at Harvard University from 2013 to 2014.
He also lectured at Stanford University.
He had been a senior fellow at think-tank Brookings Institution and an academic at Utah State University.
He has a master's degree in history from Shanghai's Fudan University, and a degree in English literature from Sichuan University in China.
INVOLVED IN ROW WITH CABBY
A dispute between Dr Huang and a cabby in June last year resulted in the police being called.
Lianhe Wanbao reported that Dr Huang demanded that the taxi driver step out of the vehicle at the end of a trip to the LKY School and "show respect" to him, after he gave the cabby a $1 tip.
A video recording of the incident also circulated online.
University cooperating fully with MHA and does not tolerate acts of foreign interference
By Royston Sim, Assistant Political Editor and Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 5 Aug 2017
A spokesman said that his employment at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy was conditional on him having the necessary work permits.
Dr Huang, who had his permanent residency cancelled, can thus no longer work here.
"As these permits have been cancelled, we would not be able to continue with his employment," the spokesman said.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced that it had permanently banned him and his wife Shirley Yang Xiuping from Singapore, and cancelled their PR status. It said that Dr Huang had worked with intelligence organisations and agents from a foreign country to influence Singapore's foreign policy and public opinion.
The 60-year-old was also the director of the Centre on Asia and Globalisation and Lee Foundation Professor on US-China relations at the LKY School.
The NUS spokesman said the matter is of serious concern, and it is cooperating fully with MHA.
"NUS does not tolerate such acts of foreign interference, even as we continue to value and uphold the diverse and international character of our university," she said.
Associate Professor Bilveer Singh, from the NUS Department of Political Science, said Singapore's policy of staying open to the world means "all kinds of elements" can enter the country, including its academic institutions.
He warned that the current incident is "the tip of the iceberg", and said the country has to exercise vigilance.
"Singapore is an influential soft power country - that is why people would want to influence us," he added. "If we are not careful, we will unwittingly become victims of agents of influence who want to do us in."
MP Vikram Nair, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign Affairs, said the case is a reminder that "espionage is a reality of life".
On the attempts to influence Singapore's foreign policy, he said: "It is a back-handed compliment that Singapore's opinions actually matter, that we are well respected on the world stage."
Associate Professor Antonio Rappa, who heads the management and security studies programme at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, drew parallels between this incident and the Hendrickson affair in 1988.
In that case, Mr E. Mason Hendrickson, first secretary of the United States Embassy, was expelled from Singapore for interfering in local politics.
On why foreign powers want to try and influence Singapore's foreign policy, Prof Rappa noted that Singapore has been punching above its weight.
"For small countries to survive, we need to be seen and heard. Singapore, despite being tiny, is always on the radar, so people would want to influence us," he said.
Cases of foreign countries employing agents of influence are not uncommon, said Associate Professor Bernard Loo of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. "These things happen not just between enemies, but also between friends."
EIGHT THINGS ABOUT LKY SCHOOL PROFESSOR BANNED FROM SINGAPORE
EXPERT ON CHINA POLITICS
Dr Huang Jing, who was banned permanently from Singapore yesterday, is an academic known for his expert views on China's politics and foreign policy, as well as US-China relations.
US CITIZEN WHO WORKED AT NUS
Until the ban, Dr Huang, a United States citizen who was born in 1956, was the Lee Foundation Professor on US-China relations at the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School), where he also headed the Centre on Asia and Globalisation.
LONG LIST OF ACHIEVEMENTS
His curriculum vitae, available on the LKY School's website, chronicles a long list of achievements in academia and the study of international relations.
He has authored three books and many journal articles, book chapters and policy papers on China's politics, development strategy and foreign policy, as well as US-China relations, China's military and security issues in the Asia-Pacific.
HEAD OF PROJECTS
Dr Huang, who received his PhD in government from Harvard University in 1995, spearheaded a number of projects while at the LKY School.
These include a consortium studying the development of Russia's far east, an effort that involves leading think-tanks from such countries as Russia, China, Japan and Singapore.
He also chaired projects studying China-India relations, and the energy policies of China, Japan and the US.
NEWSPAPER COMMENTATOR
Dr Huang is also a frequent commentator in the Singapore media, including The Straits Times and Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao.
His latest commentary for The Straits Times, published in June, was on the interdependence of the US and China.
SITS ON BOARDS
Besides his academic work, Dr Huang is on the board of several organisations, including Keppel Land.
He is on the steering committee of the NUS Research Institute in Suzhou as well.
STINTS IN HARVARD, STANFORD
Before joining the LKY School, Dr Huang lectured at Harvard University from 2013 to 2014.
He also lectured at Stanford University.
He had been a senior fellow at think-tank Brookings Institution and an academic at Utah State University.
He has a master's degree in history from Shanghai's Fudan University, and a degree in English literature from Sichuan University in China.
INVOLVED IN ROW WITH CABBY
A dispute between Dr Huang and a cabby in June last year resulted in the police being called.
Lianhe Wanbao reported that Dr Huang demanded that the taxi driver step out of the vehicle at the end of a trip to the LKY School and "show respect" to him, after he gave the cabby a $1 tip.
A video recording of the incident also circulated online.
When agents of influence seek to shape public opinion
By Zakir Hussain, Political Editor, The Straits Times, 5 Aug 2017
Foreign countries and their intelligence agencies have long sought to shape actions and policies in other countries.
Such espionage and subversion were at their peak during the Cold War, but have resurfaced recently as the global balance of power shifts and geopolitical tensions rise. In the past few years, Australian officials have been busy trying to assess the extent to which Chinese agencies were gaining influence over Canberra.
An investigation by Australian media companies concluded that the Chinese Communist Party was secretly infiltrating Australian political parties and society to influence policy and opinion.
Lately, American and European officials have similarly been investigating Russian attempts at interfering in elections in their countries. And reports of America's extensive spy network in China being crippled in the early part of this decade have emerged.
Seen in the context of these cases, it may come as a shock - but certainly no surprise - that the Singapore authorities have uncovered "an agent of influence" of a foreign country operating here.
An agent typically refers to a person who is employed by an intelligence service to gather information on a country.
But an agent of influence is a person of standing - whether in academia, business, the media or other fields - who uses his position to influence a target country's policies and public opinion.
Agents of influence can be more insidious than ordinary agents, especially if they have espoused balanced, moderate views, been given permanent residency (PR) status or citizenship, and made an impression that they are neutral, disinterested parties who act in the best interests of the host country.
Often, but not every time, disinformation or fake news is planted to direct a course of action.
And their targets invariably do not suspect they are being used.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Home Affairs cited how Dr Huang Jing engaged prominent and influential Singaporeans, and gave them what he claimed was "privileged information" on the foreign country, "so as to influence their opinions in favour of that country".
The aim was for the information to cause the Government to change its foreign policy.
Earlier this week, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing told Parliament that Singapore had to " be careful of potential foreign interference in our processes". This could include "an attempt to influence our public opinion, our own local organisations", he said in reply to Workers' Party MP Png Eng Huat.
The authorities have detected several such attempts. In 1982, the Internal Security Department exposed and expelled two Soviet military intelligence officers. One of them tried to cultivate an army second lieutenant for information on the Singapore Armed Forces, while the other had been sent here to take over a spy network.
In 1997, a woman civil servant was detained for giving classified information to a Singapore PR who was working under deep cover for a foreign intelligence service. In 1998, four Singaporean men, one of whom was a recruiter, were detained for collecting classified information for a foreign intelligence service.
But the case involving Dr Huang appears to be on a different level.
In the past few years, there have been concerns that businessmen and community leaders here are exerting pressure on Singapore diplomats and officials to "tone down" the country's principled positions on certain foreign policy issues that seem to have offended other countries.
More instances of similar pressure can be expected. And more agents would be detected.
The best defence against these attempts by outsiders to influence Singapore's policies and politics must come from within. This entails being aware of the various ways by which agents of influence operate - and remaining alert against being manipulated.
By Zakir Hussain, Political Editor, The Straits Times, 5 Aug 2017
Foreign countries and their intelligence agencies have long sought to shape actions and policies in other countries.
Such espionage and subversion were at their peak during the Cold War, but have resurfaced recently as the global balance of power shifts and geopolitical tensions rise. In the past few years, Australian officials have been busy trying to assess the extent to which Chinese agencies were gaining influence over Canberra.
An investigation by Australian media companies concluded that the Chinese Communist Party was secretly infiltrating Australian political parties and society to influence policy and opinion.
Lately, American and European officials have similarly been investigating Russian attempts at interfering in elections in their countries. And reports of America's extensive spy network in China being crippled in the early part of this decade have emerged.
Seen in the context of these cases, it may come as a shock - but certainly no surprise - that the Singapore authorities have uncovered "an agent of influence" of a foreign country operating here.
An agent typically refers to a person who is employed by an intelligence service to gather information on a country.
But an agent of influence is a person of standing - whether in academia, business, the media or other fields - who uses his position to influence a target country's policies and public opinion.
Agents of influence can be more insidious than ordinary agents, especially if they have espoused balanced, moderate views, been given permanent residency (PR) status or citizenship, and made an impression that they are neutral, disinterested parties who act in the best interests of the host country.
Often, but not every time, disinformation or fake news is planted to direct a course of action.
And their targets invariably do not suspect they are being used.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Home Affairs cited how Dr Huang Jing engaged prominent and influential Singaporeans, and gave them what he claimed was "privileged information" on the foreign country, "so as to influence their opinions in favour of that country".
The aim was for the information to cause the Government to change its foreign policy.
Earlier this week, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing told Parliament that Singapore had to " be careful of potential foreign interference in our processes". This could include "an attempt to influence our public opinion, our own local organisations", he said in reply to Workers' Party MP Png Eng Huat.
The authorities have detected several such attempts. In 1982, the Internal Security Department exposed and expelled two Soviet military intelligence officers. One of them tried to cultivate an army second lieutenant for information on the Singapore Armed Forces, while the other had been sent here to take over a spy network.
In 1997, a woman civil servant was detained for giving classified information to a Singapore PR who was working under deep cover for a foreign intelligence service. In 1998, four Singaporean men, one of whom was a recruiter, were detained for collecting classified information for a foreign intelligence service.
But the case involving Dr Huang appears to be on a different level.
In the past few years, there have been concerns that businessmen and community leaders here are exerting pressure on Singapore diplomats and officials to "tone down" the country's principled positions on certain foreign policy issues that seem to have offended other countries.
More instances of similar pressure can be expected. And more agents would be detected.
The best defence against these attempts by outsiders to influence Singapore's policies and politics must come from within. This entails being aware of the various ways by which agents of influence operate - and remaining alert against being manipulated.
Taking foreign hands off Singapore
Editorial, The Straits Times, 15 Aug 2017
The action taken against prominent local academic Huang Jing should not be seen in isolation or as being directed against any particular country. The China-born American citizen has had his permanent residency cancelled for working with a foreign government to influence Singapore's foreign policy and public opinion here. He and his wife will also be permanently banned from Singapore. This stringent action sends out a stinging reminder that Singapore's foreign policy is Singaporean and not foreign - and hence any interference in it is out of bounds, no matter which foreign quarter it comes from.
The fundamental principle is that no foreigner - and no Singaporean as well - can be allowed to advance the political and diplomatic agenda of a foreign country covertly at Singapore's expense. Espionage - the collection of sensitive national information illegally - is an outright offence. But acting as an agent of influence - to disseminate information intended to change the course of Singapore's foreign policy or its domestic political development - is no less insidious and dangerous.
Of course, every country seeks to influence the behaviour of other nations. However, that effort needs to be carried out through legitimate political and diplomatic channels which are authorised to conduct foreign policy. It cannot fall on individuals, who are present in Singapore in a different capacity, to act as unofficial multipliers of external influence. The integrity of Singapore's decision-making structures would be subverted in no time were such interventions to become habitual.
Indeed, even representatives of friendly countries are not immune from the operation of this sovereign principle. The expulsion of an American diplomat in the late 1980s, for interference in domestic politics, revealed that foreign clandestine operations were not limited to hostile countries but could emanate from even friendly nations. The issue is not the nature of the relationship with particular countries, but the boundaries of probity within which all must conduct their relations with Singapore.
Attempts to test such boundaries are widespread. Australia, for example, is trying to assess the extent to which Chinese agencies are gaining influence over Canberra. There have been explosive allegations of Russian interference in the last American presidential election. There have been reports of America's vast espionage network in China being crippled.
If even large countries can be vulnerable to the covert actions of other powerful nations, it falls on tiny Singapore to ensure that its freedom of manoeuvre is not compromised by the unwelcome attention of foreign players. The Huang Jing episode would serve a useful purpose were it to impress on countries to take Singapore's sovereignty seriously. It does so itself.
Editorial, The Straits Times, 15 Aug 2017
The action taken against prominent local academic Huang Jing should not be seen in isolation or as being directed against any particular country. The China-born American citizen has had his permanent residency cancelled for working with a foreign government to influence Singapore's foreign policy and public opinion here. He and his wife will also be permanently banned from Singapore. This stringent action sends out a stinging reminder that Singapore's foreign policy is Singaporean and not foreign - and hence any interference in it is out of bounds, no matter which foreign quarter it comes from.
The fundamental principle is that no foreigner - and no Singaporean as well - can be allowed to advance the political and diplomatic agenda of a foreign country covertly at Singapore's expense. Espionage - the collection of sensitive national information illegally - is an outright offence. But acting as an agent of influence - to disseminate information intended to change the course of Singapore's foreign policy or its domestic political development - is no less insidious and dangerous.
Of course, every country seeks to influence the behaviour of other nations. However, that effort needs to be carried out through legitimate political and diplomatic channels which are authorised to conduct foreign policy. It cannot fall on individuals, who are present in Singapore in a different capacity, to act as unofficial multipliers of external influence. The integrity of Singapore's decision-making structures would be subverted in no time were such interventions to become habitual.
Indeed, even representatives of friendly countries are not immune from the operation of this sovereign principle. The expulsion of an American diplomat in the late 1980s, for interference in domestic politics, revealed that foreign clandestine operations were not limited to hostile countries but could emanate from even friendly nations. The issue is not the nature of the relationship with particular countries, but the boundaries of probity within which all must conduct their relations with Singapore.
Attempts to test such boundaries are widespread. Australia, for example, is trying to assess the extent to which Chinese agencies are gaining influence over Canberra. There have been explosive allegations of Russian interference in the last American presidential election. There have been reports of America's vast espionage network in China being crippled.
If even large countries can be vulnerable to the covert actions of other powerful nations, it falls on tiny Singapore to ensure that its freedom of manoeuvre is not compromised by the unwelcome attention of foreign players. The Huang Jing episode would serve a useful purpose were it to impress on countries to take Singapore's sovereignty seriously. It does so itself.
* Banned academic Huang Jing's appeal to keep PR status rejected
By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 24 Aug 2017
The academic who was stripped of his permanent residency for working with a foreign government to influence Singapore's foreign policy and public opinion has failed in his bid to remain here.
Dr Huang Jing, 60, a professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, and his wife, Ms Shirley Yang Xiuping, have had their appeal against the cancellation of their permanent residency rejected, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement yesterday.
The couple had appealed to the Home Affairs Minister on Aug 7, three days after they were stripped of their permanent residency, and were informed of the rejection yesterday, the ministry said.
It added: "The minister's decision is final. Huang Jing and his wife will have to leave Singapore within a stipulated grace period.They will be permanently banned from re- entering Singapore."
The grace period is 14 days, which means Dr Huang and his wife have to leave by Sept 6. He told The Straits Times they would return to the US "as early as we can". They have a house in the state of Virginia.
The China-born couple are citizens of the United States.
Dr Huang was director of the Centre on Asia and Globalisation and Lee Foundation Professor on US-China relations at the LKY School. His views were regularly sought by organisations and the media. Besides submitting articles to Singapore newspapers, he contributed articles to China's Global Times, a newspaper closely linked to the country's government.
Earlier this month, the ministry identified Dr Huang as "an agent of influence of a foreign country" who worked with intelligence organisations and agents from that country, which it did not name.
It had said: "Huang used his senior position in the LKY School to deliberately and covertly advance the agenda of a foreign country at Singapore's expense. He did this in collaboration with foreign intelligence agents.
"This amounts to subversion and foreign interference in Singapore's domestic politics. Huang's continued presence in Singapore, and that of his wife, are therefore undesirable."
A spokesman for the National University of Singapore, which the LKY School is a part of, said Dr Huang's employment at NUS has been terminated immediately, as it "has always been conditional on the necessary immigration permits for him to work in Singapore".
"As his appeal against the cancellation of these permits has been unsuccessful, we would not be able to continue with his employment."
By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 24 Aug 2017
The academic who was stripped of his permanent residency for working with a foreign government to influence Singapore's foreign policy and public opinion has failed in his bid to remain here.
Dr Huang Jing, 60, a professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, and his wife, Ms Shirley Yang Xiuping, have had their appeal against the cancellation of their permanent residency rejected, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement yesterday.
The couple had appealed to the Home Affairs Minister on Aug 7, three days after they were stripped of their permanent residency, and were informed of the rejection yesterday, the ministry said.
It added: "The minister's decision is final. Huang Jing and his wife will have to leave Singapore within a stipulated grace period.They will be permanently banned from re- entering Singapore."
The grace period is 14 days, which means Dr Huang and his wife have to leave by Sept 6. He told The Straits Times they would return to the US "as early as we can". They have a house in the state of Virginia.
The China-born couple are citizens of the United States.
Dr Huang was director of the Centre on Asia and Globalisation and Lee Foundation Professor on US-China relations at the LKY School. His views were regularly sought by organisations and the media. Besides submitting articles to Singapore newspapers, he contributed articles to China's Global Times, a newspaper closely linked to the country's government.
Earlier this month, the ministry identified Dr Huang as "an agent of influence of a foreign country" who worked with intelligence organisations and agents from that country, which it did not name.
It had said: "Huang used his senior position in the LKY School to deliberately and covertly advance the agenda of a foreign country at Singapore's expense. He did this in collaboration with foreign intelligence agents.
"This amounts to subversion and foreign interference in Singapore's domestic politics. Huang's continued presence in Singapore, and that of his wife, are therefore undesirable."
A spokesman for the National University of Singapore, which the LKY School is a part of, said Dr Huang's employment at NUS has been terminated immediately, as it "has always been conditional on the necessary immigration permits for him to work in Singapore".
"As his appeal against the cancellation of these permits has been unsuccessful, we would not be able to continue with his employment."
By Rumi Hardasmalani, TODAY, 29 Aug 2017
Think-tanks play a critical role in policymaking as they put forward “practical viewpoints that help the country”.
But while they may disgree with the Government, they ought to do so “objectively” and not “for the sake of challenging” or be under the influence of a foreign government, Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam said Monday (Aug 28).
Mr Shanmugam was speaking during a question-and-answer session at the Asia Economic Forum, organised by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP).
Think-tanks cannot be projecting views of a foreign countries “under the guise of objectivity and academic freedom”, Mr Shanmugam said in response to a question on the role of think-tanks and businessmen in managing foreign relations.
Recently, LKYSPP academic Huang Jing, who is a United States-China expert, was identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs as an “agent of influence of a foreign country”.
The permanent residency status of Prof Huang and his wife, Ms Shirley Yang Xiuping, were revoked, and their appeals were recently rejected. They will be permanently banned from re-entering Singapore.
Without referring to the case Monday, Mr Shanmugam stressed that projecting views of foreign countries “under the guise of objectivity and academic freedom” is unacceptable.
Noting the role of former Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee in the setting up of think-tanks in Singapore, he said: “Dr Goh would certainly turn in his grave if he (knows) that the think-tanks he set up have become instruments of influence for other countries.
“Dr Goh saw the think-tank’s role as being very knowledgeable, objective, clear, and putting those views to the Government, which means not necessarily agreeing with the Government.”
On the role of businessmen, Mr Shanmugam said they play a very important part in terms of engaging communities and growing Singapore’s gross national product, apart from forging economic relationships and creating the fundamentals for the country’s success.
He added: “At the same time, both business and the Government need to understand where the line is to be drawn.
“Sometimes, the Government cannot take the advice of businesses. It has to decide what is in the nation’s interest. Businessmen will carry a business perspective, but the Government has to take a larger perspective as a sovereign state.”
Related“Sometimes, the Government cannot take the advice of businesses. It has to decide what is in the nation’s interest. Businessmen will carry a business perspective, but the Government has to take a larger perspective as a sovereign state.”
* Academic Huang Jing and wife have left Singapore after being stripped of PR status: MHA
By Royston Sim, Assistant Political Editor, The Straits Times, 9 Sep 2017
An academic who had his Singapore permanent residency revoked for working as an "agent of influence" for a foreign government has left Singapore with his wife.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) confirmed the departure of Dr Huang Jing, 60, and his wife, Ms Shirley Yang Xuiping, in a statement yesterday.
The duo, who had their permanent residency cancelled last month, are permanently banned from Singapore.
The MHA said last month that Dr Huang had used his position as a senior academic in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy to "deliberately and covertly advance the agenda of a foreign country at Singapore's expense".
He did so in collaboration with foreign intelligence agents, in a bid to influence foreign policy and public opinion here, the ministry said, without naming the foreign country involved.
"This amounts to subversion and foreign interference in Singapore's domestic politics. Huang's continued presence in Singapore and that of his wife are therefore undesirable," it said. It noted that Ms Yang was aware of her husband's actions.
Dr Huang was director of the Centre on Asia and Globalisation and Lee Foundation professor on US- China relations at the LKY School, and his views on China and foreign policy issues were regularly sought by organisations and the media.
Besides writing for Singapore newspapers, he also contributed articles to China's Global Times, a newspaper closely linked to the Chinese government.
The China-born couple, who are United States citizens, appealed against the cancellation to the Minister for Home Affairs. After their appeal was rejected, they were given a 14-day grace period - till Sept 6 - to leave Singapore.
Dr Huang earlier told The Straits Times they would return to the US, where they have a house in the state of Virginia.
The National University of Singapore, of which the LKY School is a part, terminated Dr Huang's employment as he no longer had the necessary immigration permits to work in Singapore.
By Royston Sim, Assistant Political Editor, The Straits Times, 9 Sep 2017
An academic who had his Singapore permanent residency revoked for working as an "agent of influence" for a foreign government has left Singapore with his wife.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) confirmed the departure of Dr Huang Jing, 60, and his wife, Ms Shirley Yang Xuiping, in a statement yesterday.
The duo, who had their permanent residency cancelled last month, are permanently banned from Singapore.
The MHA said last month that Dr Huang had used his position as a senior academic in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy to "deliberately and covertly advance the agenda of a foreign country at Singapore's expense".
He did so in collaboration with foreign intelligence agents, in a bid to influence foreign policy and public opinion here, the ministry said, without naming the foreign country involved.
"This amounts to subversion and foreign interference in Singapore's domestic politics. Huang's continued presence in Singapore and that of his wife are therefore undesirable," it said. It noted that Ms Yang was aware of her husband's actions.
Dr Huang was director of the Centre on Asia and Globalisation and Lee Foundation professor on US- China relations at the LKY School, and his views on China and foreign policy issues were regularly sought by organisations and the media.
Besides writing for Singapore newspapers, he also contributed articles to China's Global Times, a newspaper closely linked to the Chinese government.
The China-born couple, who are United States citizens, appealed against the cancellation to the Minister for Home Affairs. After their appeal was rejected, they were given a 14-day grace period - till Sept 6 - to leave Singapore.
Dr Huang earlier told The Straits Times they would return to the US, where they have a house in the state of Virginia.
The National University of Singapore, of which the LKY School is a part, terminated Dr Huang's employment as he no longer had the necessary immigration permits to work in Singapore.
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