Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew has been widely praised since he passed away on Monday. Present and former leaders of the US and European countries described Lee as an extraordinary statesman, a rare triumph for the head of a small country.

Lee gained the fame primarily for his achievements in governing the country as he led Singapore into the ranks of developed countries in just one generation. Even if some don't approve of his style of rule, it is indisputably true that the income of Singaporeans has risen to or even surpassed that of many developed countries.

What else can better prove the success of a government?

However, Lee' prestige was not totally built on his commendable contributions to Singapore. Lee was also a sophisticated geopolitical player.

Lee was born to a Chinese family, but his study of law in the UK enabled him to understand the British system and he was labeled as a "banana" - with yellow skin but white inside - by some.

He participated in workers' campaign and initially cooperated with the local communist party.

All these combined constitute the foundation of Lee's success in governing Singapore, which is mainly composed of people of Chinese descent, and also defined his special relationship with China.

China's rise in recent decades and the resulting changes in Sino-US relations as well as the Asia-Pacific scenario have enabled Lee to demonstrate his talents.

When former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping decided to introduce the opening-up policy, he mulled over where the strategy should be focused and Lee was definitely a key figure to facilitate this giant step.

China's rise has given enormous opportunities to the world and Singapore in particular.

When Lee managed to help China to attract investment from overseas businessmen in Southeast Asia in the early phase of reform and opening-up, he also made it a long-term policy for Singapore to participate in and support China's transformation.

Lee is a rare head of state who has met with five generations of Chinese leadership, including Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping. He has left a profound imprint in China's development path.

Lee has adopted the principle of doing whatever works when it comes to national policy while making yourself useful to others in his foreign policy. This requires broad vision.

Singapore is a small country, but Lee possessed the sharp insight necessary for leading a big power.

He might have been considered good at playing politics, but a small country needs exceptional sophistication to deal with larger counterparts.

There have been many cases in which small countries have to take a side during the confrontation of big powers. Singapore showed dependence on the US during the Cold War era, but Lee quickly adjusted his policy when China became strong.

He didn't lean to any side, but instead cemented Singapore's position in the global economy through China's rise. In the meantime, he became an indispensable Asian friend of US leaders due to his personal ties with the Chinese leadership and his profound understanding of China.

From former president George H. W. Bush to present President Barack Obama, US leaders have learned about China from their communication with Lee and followed his suggestions on US policy of China and Asia as a whole.

Lee played an irreplaceable part in the early stage of China's re-emergence, but his intermediary role won't be needed in the post-Lee Kuan Yew era since China and the US are now in direct contact. The time when an intermediary could play an influential role has passed.

The author is a senior editor with People's Daily. He is now stationed in Brazil. dinggang@globaltimes.com.cn. Follow him on Twitter at @dinggangchina