Building Integrative Bridges for Multicultural Communities in Singapore during the Resurgence of the Peoples’ Republic of China

Following the formal diplomatic link between Singapore and the Republic of China, trade and cultural ties between the two countries greatly expanded. This phenomenon, which marked the rise of The Republic of China, had a different impact on the Chinese who are the major ethnic group in Singapore, and the Malays who are the largest minority in the country. This article explores the various institutions and policies that were adopted by the Singaporean government following the period just after the formalization of the diplomatic ties in 1974, which may have enhanced or unsettled social cohesion between the two communities. The question of assimilation, integration, or forced integration as perceived by those communities is also considered. Latterly, this article focuses on a qualitative study based on a sample of the Singaporean student population, presented in order to demonstrate the extent to which the two communities aspired to remain integrated.The findings of the study reveal an interesting web of attitudes, beliefs and pragmatism in interactions among the respondents which tie in with their perceptions of family identity and loyalty to their culture and religion in building a cohesive and harmonious community together. In the final section, a number of suggestions of ways to foster integration between the different communities, as shared by the respondents, will be reported.