xīn jiā pō新加坡fáng zhǎng防长：yǐ dé fú rén以德服人cái才shì是zhēn zhèng真正de的yíng赢
On September 16, Singapore’s Minister for Defence, Chan Chun Sing, delivered a speech at an international security forum held in Beijing.
In his speech, he quoted a famous saying in Chinese from Mencius, an ancient Chinese thinker, which drew everyone’s attention.
Chan quoted the ancient saying: “Those who make others submit by force do not win their hearts; those who win others over through virtue gain their sincere and willing support.”
This means that if you only use force to make others submit, they will not truly be convinced; only by treating others with good character and actions can you gain their wholehearted support.
He believes that in today’s world, countries need to rethink what it means to “win.”
True “winning” is not defeating opponents through force, but winning the world’s recognition and trust through being a good example.
Chan said that technology is developing very quickly, the international environment is becoming more complex, and trust is the most valuable thing among countries.
With trust, many difficult problems can be solved gradually; without trust, even a small misunderstanding can become a major problem.
Speaking about relations between major and smaller countries, he said that major countries should take on more responsibility so that smaller countries will have fewer worries.
Only when countries communicate and cooperate more can lasting peace be achieved.
Chan’s remarks remind people that when facing international differences, force is not the best approach.
Only through mutual trust and winning people over through virtue can the world become safer and better.