Singapore must not succumb to pressure to take sides on South China Sea dispute

Singapore

WHILE Singapore does not have any claims of its own in the South China Sea nor does it take sides with any of the claimants, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday cited three things that matter to the country as the territorial dispute rages on.

The first is to uphold international law and the peaceful settlement of disputes, and this is of "vital interest" to a small country like Singapore, he said at the National Day Rally.

This is how Singapore settles disputes with other countries, such as when the Republic had a dispute with Malaysia over Pedra Branca and both countries agreed to let the International Court of Justice rule on it.

Even though the major powers such as China do not always follow the rules to deal with international disputes, Mr Lee stressed that Singapore "must support an…