Keep good bilateral relations despite pain points, cooperate to realise Asia’s potential: PM Lee
Tessa Oh
EVEN when there are bilateral pain points such as territorial disputes, Asian countries should “insulate their overall relations” from these specific issues and continue to cooperate, said Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday (Oct 5).
Asia is a region with great promise, but global and regional stability is needed for this potential to be realised, he said at the closing dialogue of the Asia Future Summit, a two-day conference jointly hosted by The Business Times, The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao.
The dialogue was moderated by Wong Wei Kong, editor-in-chief of the English, Malay, Tamil media division at SPH Media. OCBC is the presenting sponsor of Asia Future Summit 2023. The event is also supported by Guocoland and Kingsford Group.
Lee noted the promise of Asia’s demographics, China and India’s growth, and South-east Asia’s emergence. But the region also faces three broad challenges to cooperation: increasing geopolitical contestation; difficult issues within Asia itself, such as competing maritime claims; and a growing mood of nationalism and protectionism.
On the first point, Lee highlighted the worrying trend of rising tensions between the United States and China, which he called “the most consequential relationship in the world”. Each country sees the other as an adversary and is thus taking precautions – but this has created further doubts and suspicions, he said.
The “saving grace” is that both sides do not want conflict, he added, though neither “is yet ready to make significant accommodation and compromise”.
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Countries in Asia want to keep friendly ties with both powers, but that depends partly on how deftly China can grow its influence without making other countries feel squeezed or pressured, said Lee.
Asked what smaller Asian states can do, the prime minister said they can maintain “stable, constructive relations” with China, to make for a less tense situation.
This includes keeping the One China policy as the fundamental basis for international understanding on cross-strait issues, he added. Countries should not see this as a matter of democracy versus autocracy. “I think going that way is dangerous.”
During the question and answer segment, Ma Ying-jeou – founder and chairman of public policy advisory body Ma Ying-jeou Foundation – suggested that Singapore host a dialogue between leaders of Taiwan and mainland China, just as it had done twice in the past.
To that, Lee said: “If the circumstances dictate further meetings in future, we will be very happy to be the party sitting there providing the room and pouring the tea.”
Ma, the former president from Taiwan, also urged those “who are concerned about the situation... to encourage Taiwan and mainland China to meet with a dialogue”.
In his opening remarks, Lee said that for Asia to realise its promise despite these three challenges, all countries must “demonstrate a high standard of statesmanship and strong resolve to focus on shared interests”.
The region’s future depends on the choices made by each nation, he said. “Asian countries have agency. If we can make the right choices... we can create the conditions for peace, security and for our continued prosperity, even in this turbulent world.”
First, the region must “uphold and reinforce the open and inclusive regional architecture”. Many Asian countries recognise that it is important for all major powers to have stakes in the region’s stability and development, he added.
Second, Asia must deepen regional economic integration. Lee cited free trade agreements like the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, as well as other economic cooperation mechanisms such as the Belt and Road Initiative.
Third, each nation must manage its own internal social and political developments to create stable societies and states which can contribute to the prosperity of Asia, said Lee.
“International relations are vital to the security and prosperity of a country, but a country’s foreign policy always depends on supportive domestic politics,” he added.
During the dialogue, Lee was also asked how countries can cooperate on climate change.
Here, he identified three types of issues. First are those where countries “naturally need to work together”, such as advancing technology, working out carbon-trading markets and building infrastructure for green energy.
Second is the collective action problem of how to cut back on emissions. “Here, there is a bit of a game of chicken: ‘If you don’t do it, why should I do it?’” said Lee. It is easier for countries to justify tough emissions-related moves to their citizens if other countries are also doing their part, he added.
Last is the problem of historical responsibility in climate change. The argument goes that developed countries have put most of the carbon in the air, and thus owe developing countries who have been hit by climate change.
But the counterargument is that all countries must cut back, or everyone will be affected by climate change, said Lee. “So who owes who is going to be a very bad argument if it’s not settled.”
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