Сингапур саяхатшысы және саяси қайраткері Джордж Йео

Singaporean business executive and former politician

George Yeo Yong Boon (s=杨荣文; born 13 September 1954) is a Singaporean former politician and brigadier general who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs between 2004 and 2011. Yeo served in the Singapore Army and later Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) between 1976 and 1988 and attained the rank Brigadier General. He also served as Chief of Staff – Air Staff between 1985 and 1986, and Director of Joint Operations and Planning at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) between 1986 and 1988. A former member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), Yeo was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Bedok Reservoir–Punggol ward of Aljunied GRC between 1988 and 2011. He also served as Minister for Information and the Arts between 1990 and 1999, Minister for Health between 1994 and 1997, Minister for Trade and Industry between 1999 and 2004 and Minister for Foreign Affairs between 2004 and 2011.

As Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, he liberalised the use of dialects in the local film industry, which paved the way for a generation of local film directors and producers. He also oversaw the design and construction of the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay and the new National Library. In the 1990s, Yeo pushed for widespread adoption of internet infrastructure in Singapore, stating that it was important for Singapore to retain its role as a regional hub. Its geographical advantage would matter less, and its infrastructural advantage in the exchange of information and ideas would matter more. In 1995, he defended government censorship of the Internet even as it proved technologically challenging to do so: "Censorship can no longer be 100% effective, but even if it is only 20% effective, we should not stop censoring." In what he described as an "anti pollution measure in cyberspace", Yeo transferred censorship authority from the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS) to the Singapore Broadcasting Authority (SBA), which was to "concentrate on areas which may undermine public morals, political stability or religious harmony in Singapore". Yeo said the government would focus on monitoring internet communications that broadcast material to millions of users rather than the "narrowcasting" of private communications between individuals.

As Minister for Trade and Industry, Yeo led his team to successfully negotiate the Free Trade Agreement with the United States, Japan, Australia and other countries. Yeo proposed the idea of having Integrated Resorts (IRs) in Singapore, which would include casinos, which was intensely debated for a year. This paved the way for the 2 IRs in Singapore, Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands at the Marina Promenade. He later shared with a group of university students during a dialogue that his late father had a problem with gambling and the decision to push for the gaming resorts was personally a very difficult one. He said that policy making often involved a choice between 'evils'. On 10 May 2011, Yeo announced that he would be retiring from politics. Prior to the 2011 presidential election, Yeo announced that he will make a decision on running for president within 2 weeks, and has asked his friends to pick up eligibility forms on his behalf. Yeo later declined running for the Presidency on 15 June 2011. Prior to the 2023 presidential election, Yeo announced on Facebook that he was seriously considering a run for the presidency; he later retracted these statements.

Yeo has been a visiting scholar at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy since 2011. In 2013, Yeo was appointed as a non official member of the newly established Hong Kong Economic Development Commission. In 2014, Yeo was named as a member of the Vatican's Council for the Economy. He was amongst the first lay Catholics appointed by the Vatican to oversee organisational and economic issues faced by the Holy See. At that time, Yeo was the only Asian appointed to the commission. Yeo is currently a member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum, the Nicolas Berggruen Institute's 21st Century Council and the International Advisory Board of IESE Business School(IAB). Yeo was involved in reviving the ancient Buddhist university, Nalanda University, in Bihar, India. He was chancellor of Nalanda University and member of the University Governing Board, and the governing board's International Advisory Panel. In November 2016, he resigned as the chancellor of Nalanda University accusing the Indian government of failing to maintain the university's autonomy. In Singapore, he is also advisor to the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall and Teochew Poit Ip Huay Kuan, as well as a patron of Lasalle College of the Arts. Yeo joined the Kuok Group as senior advisor, and vice chairman of its subsidiary Kerry Group (HK) Pte Ltd in January 2012. In August 2012, he became chairman and executive director of Kerry Logistics Network. He was also a director of Kerry Holdings and non executive director of Wilmar International. Yeo is also the non executive director of AIA Group since November 2012. On 23 August 2020, V3 Group, led by Osim founder Ron Sim, announced that George Yeo would join the group as senior advisor. Yeo is also an independent board director of Nasdaq listed e commerce platform Pinduoduo, the largest agriculture platform in China. Yeo was appointed as an independent non executive director of Creative Technology in 2021. As of April 2024, George Yeo owns 400,000 shares in Wilmar International, and was appointed as an independent non executive director. the Order of Sikatuna, with the rank of Datu (Grand Cross), by the Philippines, and the Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia, by Australia.

A Roman Catholic, Yeo married lawyer Jennifer Leong Lai Peng in 1984. The couple have three sons and a daughter. Yeo also has a niece named Gwendoline Yeo, who was an actress and musician. In May 2006, a memorandum of understanding was signed between St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, National University of Singapore (NUS), National University Hospital (NUH) in Singapore, and the VIVA Foundation for Children with Cancer (VIVA). Yeo is an avid jogger and has participated in the Singapore Marathon 10 km run. He is a student of tai chi, an internal Chinese martial art, and describes himself as "a bit of a Taoist".

"Reflection on Singapore–Israel Relations" in Beating the Odds Together: 50 Years of Singapore Israel Ties. Ed. Mattia Tomba. Singapore: World Scientific Book, 2019 .