Singapore has to be consistent, credible and principled in navigating China-US rivalry: DPM Wong

IT WOULD realistically be difficult for the relationship between the US and China to return to what it was, and the best way for Singapore to navigate this new era of great-power rivalry will be to continue to act in a credible and principled manner in line with its national interests, said Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

Both major powers will hopefully develop a new basis for their bilateral ties with at least some guard rails to prevent misunderstanding, manage differences and avoid conflict. And to do that, they need to have open lines of communication.

Speaking to Singapore journalists as he wrapped up his five-day visit to China, Wong was asked whether the city-state can facilitate better mutual understanding amid deepening distrust between the China and the United States.

“We think it’s good that at least that process of dialogue has started with Wang Yi and Jake Sullivan recently. And we hope it will continue across many fronts so that both the US and China will be able to find ways to work out their differences and coexist with one another, and gradually rebuild the trust that is necessary for both to manage their differences and, at the same time, find areas of common ground where they can cooperate,” said Wong on Wednesday (May 17).

Wang, China’s top diplomat, and Sullivan, who is the US National Security Adviser, met for what they described as candid and constructive discussions in Vienna last week. These were the first high-level talks since relations hit a low after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down by the US.

Singapore, said Wong, cannot prescribe policy to either country.

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“But what we aim to do is to stay friends with both as far as possible. And if either party wants to seek our views, we will be very happy to share with them our perspectives candidly and objectively.”

What is more important for Singapore, he said, is to maintain a consistent and credible position guided by its national interests.

“And if we continue to do that, all our friends or external parties everywhere will eventually over time... come to know what Singapore stands for, what we represent, and they will see Singapore as a reliable and trusted partner.”

Wong said the topic of US-China rivalry had come up during his discussions with Chinese leaders on the trip, and “I believe both sides do not want a confrontation”.

Wong’s visit, his first to China after he was identified as Singapore’s next prime minister a year ago, has been important in building rapport with Beijing and the new Chinese leaders especially.

His last visit was in 2018 when he accompanied Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as national development minister. This time, he led a delegation of his fourth-generation colleagues: National Development Minister Desmond Lee, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Defence Zaqy Mohamad, and Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Culture, Community and Youth Low Yen Ling.

Asked about Singapore’s relationship with China, Wong said: “We value greatly the ties that we have with China. And it is a relationship that has been built on mutual trust developed over generations.”

This trust has enabled Singapore to develop a wide range of cooperation projects with China, “which is really quite amazing if you think about it, because we are such a tiny country”.

Singapore has managed to design projects that match China’s requirements at different points in time, such as the Suzhou Industrial Park in 1994, the sustainability-focused Tianjin Eco-City in 2008 and the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative in 2015, which plugs into China’s infrastructural master plan, the Belt and Road Initiative.

“I think if we can continue to maintain this high level of trust, then we will be able to take our relationship forward and realise our goals of an upgraded partnership, one that’s high-quality and future-oriented,” said Wong, whose visit took him to Shanghai and Beijing.

The two countries elevated their bilateral ties during a visit by Lee in April, when he held talks with President Xi Jinping and new Premier Li Qiang.

During his visit, Wong also met Li as well as Executive Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang. Both Li and Ding were promoted last October to the seven-man Politburo Standing Committee, the pinnacle of power in China.

With leadership transitions on both sides, Wong and Ding will take over the steering of Singapore-China collaboration as the new co-chairs of the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), succeeding Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and former executive vice-premier Han Zheng.

On Tuesday, they discussed existing and new areas of cooperation, and will meet again later in 2023 when China hosts the next round of JCBC talks.

Asked for his impressions of China’s new leadership team, Wong said he has always been impressed by the quality of the country’s leaders.

“But what is always striking when I visit China, and when I talk to the Chinese leaders, including this time, is their focus on domestic issues. Very often, even when someone new comes into the job, they master the issues very quickly,” he said.

He also discussed with Chinese leaders he met the issue of restoring flights between the two countries to pre-pandemic levels and reinstating a 15-day visa-free policy for Singapore travellers, which had been suspended as part of China’s Covid-19 measures.

“But beyond that, there have been suggestions also for further mutual visa arrangements between China and Singapore. And so on that part, we are happy to receive any proposals from China. We will study them and we will have our officials discuss further,” he said, without elaborating on what these arrangements might be. THE STRAITS TIMES