CRI听力:Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew Passes Away

Born in 1923, 91-year-old Lee Kuan Yew became the longest-serving prime minister in history.

35-years-old, Lee Kuan Yew was elected the first Prime Minister of Singapore after the Island-state gained semi-autonomy.

In 1965, the country was unexpectedly thrust from colonial rule after the withdrawal of Britain from, what was known then, the Federation of Malaysia.

Singapore then officially became an independent and sovereign state under Lee Kwan Yew's tenure.

"I am not here to play somebody else's game. I have a few million people's lives to account for, and Singapore will survive. "

Facing the lack of natural resources, widespread corruption and a severe housing shortage, Lee's government initiated a series of industrialization programs and a strict anti-corruption policy.

Since then, Singapore's per-capita Gross National Product has multiplied by 15-times, going from 442-US dollars per-person in 1960 to over 66-hundred in the mid 1980s.

But with the growth of the economy, Lee Kwan Yew's governance style also raised objections, including criticism that he turned Singapore into "a nanny state."

Despite this, the statesman remained unapologetic.

"I say without the slightly remorse, that we wouldn't be here, we would not have made economic progress, if we had not intervened on very personal matters, who your neighbor is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit, or where you spit, or what language you use. "

On the diplomatic front, Lee Kuan Yew maintained close ties with China, making 33 visits to China from 1976.

In 1993, Lee helped to facilitate the first meeting between mainland officials and the authorities in Taiwan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has described Lee Kwan Yew as an old friend of China, while Lee has compared Xi Jinping to Nelson Mandela in his book.

"You look at your Beijing Olympics, they beautify Beijing and green it up. The Beijing I saw in 1976 was grey, all streets were in darkness. Now wide boulevards, trees, grasses, flowers. You are on the high way. Do not have problems aboard, don't quarrel with anybody, maintain stability and peace and educate you people, and you will become a different country in another 20, 30 years. "

Singapore and China established diplomatic ties in 1990.

China is currently Singapore's third largest trading partner.

Lee Kuan Yew stepped down as Prime Minister in 1990, but has remained a key political figure.

His son, Lee Hsien Loong, is Singapore's current prime minister.

Singapore is marking its 50th anniversary as an independent state this year.

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.