SINGAPORE — As the United States and China seek out a new equilibrium in their relationship, Singapore must brace itself for possibly a decade or more of unpredictability, and hopefully help steer global events towards peace, rather than war, said Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
DPM Lawrence Wong said the Republic is neither pro-China nor pro-America, but "pro-Singapore".
It is not just the leadership that thinks like that, but a lot of Chinese officials, noted DPM Wong, who will take over as Singapore's fourth prime minister on May 15. He said that while militaries are very mindful about collateral damage, retaliation and escalation in conventional warfare, it is less straightforward to assess the fallout from using economic and financial tools for geopolitical purposes, he said.
DPM Wong said China now sees itself as a strong country, whose time on the world stage has come. This means the Chinese want to be more assertive about their national interests, and this includes overseas. He responded that Taiwan is fundamentally quite different from Ukraine, even though people have tried to draw parallels between the two.
If all parties understand the red lines and the risks of exceeding them — something the Biden administration certainly does — then there is a good chance of upholding the status quo, said DPM Wong.He reiterated that Singapore is not a US ally, but its only Major Security Cooperation Partner.
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