By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-06-11 04:18:43 | Updated at 2026-06-12 14:16:07
1 day ago
TOKYO – The growing tide of discontent over globalisation can only be allayed if governments address the everyday, bread-and-butter concerns of their citizens, Singapore’s Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on June 11.
Speaking at the 31st annual Nikkei Future of Asia Forum in Tokyo, Ong dismissed the idea that globalisation was in retreat. Despite rising tariffs, decoupling rhetoric, and the growth of nationalist politics, he argued that the world has entered a “new era of interdependence” defined by integrated supply chains, increased mobility, and urgent shared challenges like climate change and demographic shifts.
As many people come to see globalisation as unjust, unfair, and threatening, governments must first listen to and act on their concerns, said Ong, who is also Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, to an audience of diplomats, academics, and business leaders. The Straits Times is a media partner for the two-day conference, themed “Working Together for a More Resilient and Prosperous Asia”.
“Globalisation is due for another significant correction to address the contradiction of rising importance and discontent towards it. This is the heart of the challenge today,” he said.
This means globalisation should no longer be discussed through the lens of big-picture ideas, such as investment treaties and trade agreements, but focus on everyday concerns to ensure people do not feel left behind.
To that end, he outlined three pillars that countries should focus on to ensure “active, deliberate, and coordinated governance from within”.
The first of these is the need for sound fiscal discipline. As healthcare and pension spending soar in ageing societies globally, Ong warned that nations must avoid excessive debt that crowds out vital investments for future generations.
While Japan, Germany, and Britain spend more than 10 per cent of their GDP today on healthcare – up from 6 per cent in 2000 – Singapore’s stands at about 5 per cent, which Ong said was among the lowest in the world but yields relatively good outcomes.
“With a sound fiscal system, we can invest in the future, such as in education, housing, and infrastructure,” he said. “Each society is different, but governments need to balance social support, fiscal sustainability, and building a hopeful future.”
Building on this fiscal foundation, the second pillar stresses the development of economic models that generate growth and opportunities, and instil hope.
Ong said countries should lean into technological shifts rather than resist innovation. In Singapore’s case, the government is implementing policy guardrails to ensure technology does good rather than harm, while concurrently upskilling workers, attracting new investments, growing industries, and reviewing how it educates the young.
The final pillar focuses on the crucial need to engender social cohesion, especially amid growing global sensitivities toward immigration.
“When national borders become more porous, an initial sentiment of inclusivity and acceptance can morph into a sense of displacement, rejection and even resentment,” Ong observed, warning that immigration could become a “major faultline” and political divide if countries do not manage this properly.
A majority of populations can agree on accepting foreigners, Ong said, so long as it was clear how their presence complements the domestic workforce and value-adds to the host economy and society. The risk, however, is if foreigners get unfairly perceived and blamed for stealing jobs or causing rising inflation and property prices.
He described Singapore’s approach as one of “calibrated openness and deliberate integration”, which involves monitoring numbers carefully, preventing residential, social or professional enclaves, and investing in common spaces for interaction.
“The objective is not just to bring people in, but to help everyone live together, understand one another and preserve a shared sense of society.”
Beyond domestic governance, Ong highlighted Japan as a key regional partner for its decades-long broad and sustained contributions to Asia through areas such as free trade and culture.
He pointed to Japan’s experience in disaster response and social resilience, crediting the Japanese concept of ibasho (”a place where you can feel like yourself”) as the direct inspiration for Singapore’s Age Well SG programme and its network of Active Ageing Centres across the country.
Turning to broader geopolitics, Ong suggested that the hopes and anxieties of everyday people could ultimately shape the course of global diplomacy.
He noted the comparative strengths in the big power rivalry between the United States and China, with the former leading in technological breakthroughs and the latter mastering large-scale production. Yet, what looks like economic complementarity also heightens the sense of insecurity and rivalry between the two superpowers, he said.
“If both can address the anxieties of their people, they will have the political room to work through differences and find areas of cooperation for mutual benefit,” he said.
Ultimately, Ong warned that decoupling is unrealistic in a world where true resilience comes from having more supply sources and trading partners, rather than chasing total self-sufficiency.
“Ironically, to address the insecurity of globalisation, we need more globalisation,” he noted.
The sheer depth of modern interdependence means turning back from globalisation is impossible, he said. As demonstrated by the global paralysis of the Covid-19 pandemic and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, any major upheaval is bound to cause “mutually assured disruption”.
To illustrate the evolution of trade, Ong contrasted the historical tea trade with the modern bubble tea phenomenon.
In the past, a cup of tea had only been possible in an “age of extraction” built on colonialism, exploitation, enslaved labour and the opium trade. But today, bubble tea epitomises a more humane post-war “age of integration,” where ingredients are sourced from across Asia and paid for digitally on devices powered by global supply chains and semiconductor networks.
As a hyper-local example of this integration, Ong cited the role his own 50,000 residents in the Sembawang Central division of Sembawang GRC will soon play in powering global AI infrastructure.
US chipmaker Micron is building its first High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) advanced packaging facility there, which is expected to open by 2027. This development means his constituency will become a vital part of a delivery system that contributes about one-fifth of the global HBM supply.
As the very idea of globalisation comes under assault, the solution lies entirely in fostering public trust.
“People need to see governments addressing their insecurities, protecting their livelihoods, dignity and way of life. Only then will there be confidence and trust to embrace globalisation again,” he said.
“This in turn provides the political support for governments to cooperate and work together.”
