Small size, big achievements

His Majesty King Abdullah’s visit to Singapore for talks with President Tony Tan and senior officials covered a whole range of issues affecting peace and security in the Middle East, but also economic prospects that await exploration.

Attesting to the great potential attached to the visit and the importance of improving economic ties, the King started holding meetings as soon as he got off the plane, following a nine-hour trip.

The Kingdom attaches great importance to this visit; the two countries can benefit a lot from each other as they face similar challenges and opportunities when it comes to economic development.

Singapore is a small country, as indeed is Jordan, but it is a model of a small country able to make impressive headway in development, both political and economic, despite scarce resources.

According to the 2011 Economic Freedom Index, Singapore ranks first in providing an investment-friendly environment.

Jordan is also doing much to attract investment, and views Singapore as a highly successful model to emulate in this regard.

As such, it may be a good idea to peruse closely the Singaporean legislation pertaining to foreign investment.

Singapore is one of the fast-growing economies in the world. The World Bank ranks it in 11th place globally in terms of GDP per capita, an achievement that makes it the envy of small and large countries alike.

The successes of this city-state are lessons to learn from and follow.

Singapore is also a fine example of IT industries and education. The King made it a point to visit the Institute of Technological Education, a leading component of economic development in the country, to see how Jordan can benefit from Singapore’s achievements in this field.

As the Monarch remarked during his visit, being small is no longer an impediment to progress.

Indeed, small can be big with determination and sound policies, as indeed Jordan is aiming to become.

Regional problems were also discussed by the two leaders, particularly the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the situation in Syria; the King shared with the Singaporean president his assessment of the dangers and challenges posed by these two issues to the Kingdom and the larger region.

Set to increase their economic cooperation, Jordan and Singapore can gain mutual benefit and act as springboards for wider ties with their immediate neighbourhoods.