This special section deals with China's longstanding fascination with Singapore's development experience that has preoccupied post-Maoist leaders from Deng Xiaoping to Xi Jinping despite the obvious differences between the tiny Southeast Asian city-state and the most populous country on earth. In particular, there is great Chinese interest in Singapore's success in combining effective governance and efficient state capitalism with stable one-party dominant rule. As a consequence, Chinese observers paid much less attention to electoral democracies that were well-governed states with mature economies.

The following sections are included: Introduction ; The May 2016 Bukit Batok By-election; The September 2017 Presidential Election; The Aljunied-Hougang Town Council’s Issue of Financial Management; Malaysia’s 2018 General Elections, Collapse of the Barisan Nasional Government and the Subsequent Collapse of the Pakatan Harapan Government; Onset of Three New Political Parties in the 2020 General Elections; The Coming to Power of the 4G PAP Leadership; Challenges Stemming from Data Breaches at the Ministry of Health and Hyflux Issue; POFMA

Ever since Deng Xiaoping’s visit to Singapore in 1978, Beijing has showed tremendous interest in modeling Singapore on various aspects of domestic governance. This article seeks to locate China’s interest in learning from Singapore in the style of governance typified by Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding father. This article explores the domestic aspects of governance that are common to both countries and seeks to explain China’s interests toward Singapore in as far as it views Singapore as a model of efficient and effective government. This is seen in three key areas, namely, the strength of Singapore’s first-generation political leadership, the stability of the ruling party and consequently the country, and Singapore’s economic growth.