SG in ménage à trois with US and China for next 30 years

[LITTLEREDDOT]

US tech curbs on China will affect S’pore’s semiconductor sector: MTI​

Singapore supplies 11 per cent of the world’s semiconductors. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY

Ovais Subhani
Senior Correspondent

OCT 20, 2022

SINGAPORE – New restrictions on China’s access to cutting-edge American technology will hit Singapore’s semiconductor industry, but measures are in train to offset the impact, said Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan.
Mr Tan was replying to a parliamentary question raised by Mr Desmond Choo (Tampines GRC) on sweeping United States export controls announced on Oct 7 aimed at curbing the sale of advanced semiconductors and related equipment to China and to ban Americans – citizens and green card holders – from working with several Chinese chipmakers.
Mr Tan told Parliament on Thursday: “While these measures are not targeted at Singapore, our semiconductor sector could still be impacted, since semiconductor supply chains are highly complex and globalised.
“Many semiconductor companies operating in Singapore have manufacturing processes and products that rely on US technology, which may be subject to export controls imposed by the US government.”
Singapore supplies 11 per cent of the world’s semiconductors, 20 per cent of chip-making equipment, and is a regional manufacturing and research and development (R&D) hub for some of the top microchip companies.
Mr Tan said Singapore and its companies cannot be completely sheltered from geopolitical tensions, but it can alleviate some of the stress on supply chains by ensuring that the country remains a stable, trusted and well-connected location for business.
He said: “We are also working with our companies to strengthen their business continuity plans and diversify their supply chains.”

The strategies laid out in the recently refreshed Industry Transformation Maps for the electronics and precision engineering sectors – such as anchoring investments from leading global companies, boosting R&D investments in emerging semiconductor technologies, and deepening the talent pipeline – can also help, he added.
“Collectively, these will enhance Singapore’s relevance in global semiconductor supply chains and strengthen our resilience against any shocks.”
Mr Tan said that at this stage, the Government does not have enough granular information to quantify the impact of the latest US curbs on Singapore’s semiconductor industry.
The electronics industry is key to Singapore’s economic growth, as it represents 40 per cent of output by the export-driven manufacturing sector.
The semiconductor segment, which is dominated by multinationals such as Micron Technology, Advanced Micro Devices, Qualcomm and Infineon Technologies, contributes more than 80 per cent of electronics manufacturing and 7 per cent of gross domestic product.
In addition, around 2,000 jobs are expected to be created by Singapore’s semiconductor industry in three to five years from 2021.
Applied Materials, the world’s top maker of chip-manufacturing equipment, cut its fourth-quarter sales forecast by US$400 million (S$570 million) last week.
The company, which has its South-east Asia headquarters and some manufacturing plants in Singapore, said the new export regulation will affect sales of its wafer-fabrication equipment and related parts to China.
Applied Materials is also the largest employer and contributor to the output of Singapore’s semiconductor equipment industry.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

South-east Asia could pay dearly for worsening US-China ties​

The dangerous deterioration of US-China ties has grave and far-reaching implications, including for Asean states. Regional leaders should make clear their concerns to the two great power rivals.​

Chan Heng Chee

There is an absence of strategic trust between the US and China, and each is ascribing the worst intentions to the other side. PHOTO: REUTERS


NOV 12, 2022

The downward spiralling US-China relationship seems headed for the bottomless pit.
The strategic competition between the United States and China worsened sharply after Russia invaded Ukraine. It has often been asked if Ukraine has affected the way China thinks about Taiwan and reunification. It probably has on many levels, though China was never going to be affected by Russia’s plans. China has its own timetable.
But Ukraine has also affected the way the US and its European allies think about Taiwan. Now, the Western alliance looks at Taiwan through the lens of Ukraine and casts China as Russia. Thus, its members seek to strengthen the deterrence and response for Taiwan accordingly. Taiwan has become entangled in a test of America’s ability, with the help of its allies, to maintain the American-led international order in East Asia. The temperature in the Taiwan Strait has gone up considerably.
Following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech at the 20th Party Congress, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview that China was determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline. US Chief of Naval Operations Mike Gilday publicly talked of the possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan before 2024. Admiral Phil Davidson, when he was commander of the US’ Indo-Pacific fleet, told Congress in 2021 that the Chinese military could take action before 2027. American China expert Bonnie Glaser said “the 2027 timeline is baked into US military thinking... but it seems to be based on an assessment of when China would have the capability to invade Taiwan rather than intelligence that provided information on Beijing’s intent”.
China, on its part, questions the “one China” commitment of the United States following the contradictory stances of different parts of the US government. There is an absence of strategic trust between the US and China, and each is ascribing the worst intentions to the other side. Each side is gearing up for conflict.

Tech war’s escalation​

The strategic competition has now carried into the technology sphere, which would have far-reaching effects on the economies of China, the United States as well as other countries since we live in an interconnected and globalised world. The Biden administration’s Chips and Science Act, passed in August, together with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan’s speech to the Global Emerging Technologies Summit on Sept 16, was in effect a declaration of a technology war on China.
On Oct 6, days before the Communist Party’s 20th congress, the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security placed restrictions on China’s ability to obtain advanced computing chips, develop and maintain supercomputers and manufacture advanced semiconductors.

The latest move bars the export of advanced chips to China made anywhere in the world with US technology and also blocks the export of tools used to make them. Further, there is a ban on US citizens and legal residents working with China’s chip companies. Taken together, the measures are breathtaking. American technology experts say they are the broadest controls issued in a decade. Decoupling will inevitably ensue if it is not already a fait accompli.
America’s moves to protect its technology are not new. In the Obama administration, US officials had already noticed Chinese companies buying up small US technology firms to acquire their know-how.
President Barack Obama did not allow Intel or Nvidia to sell certain types of chips to China with military, supercomputer or security applications. The Trump administration recognised that technology was the major battleground for the US and China, and they needed to protect national security and competitive economic interests. But the Trump administration’s approach was less coordinated and less comprehensive, and it targeted specific Chinese entities.


In fact, Chinese companies were getting access to US technologies as World Trade Organisation rules negotiated during China’s accession allowed it to limit market access to US companies unless they entered into joint ventures with Chinese firms. The sore point for the US was that China should be giving up these developing country advantages now that it was a more developed country, but it had steadfastly refused.
Some commentators have said China should expect this American response because it started the decoupling buzz with Premier Li Keqiang’s announcement of the Made in China 2025 policy in 2015.
But what China was trying to do with MIC 25 was industrial upgrading, moving its economy from heavily featuring textiles and light simple manufacturing to more higher value-added industries. The Chinese were following the playbook of Japan and South Korea and inspired by Germany’s Industry 4.0 plan. But China did make it clear that it wanted to be less dependent on foreign technology and eventually reach 70 per cent self-sufficiency in technology production. China also expressed its ambition to be the leader in artificial intelligence. Whether it thought it could be self-sufficient in deep tech or how soon was another matter.
The US and Europe reacted in unison sharply and negatively. The strong pushback caused China from 2019 to quietly drop mentioning Made in China 2025. Given the Trump administration’s rapid moves to restrict sensitive US technology exports to China and punitive tariffs on Chinese exports to the US, China under President Xi too started to decouple China on its own terms.

Impact on South-east Asia​

Watching all this on the sidelines, countries in South-east Asia have concerns. This competition between the two superpowers impacts us gravely, affecting the peace and security of our region and our livelihoods. All of the countries in South-east Asia have a “one China” policy, and we hope the issue of Taiwan can be settled by peaceful means.
What does the US Chips Act, outbound investment screening and technology export curbs mean for Asean? The answer could be – quite a lot.
First, the world economy has become increasingly interdependent for a long time. In recent years, it has accelerated because of improved trade, mobility of capital and labour and new technology. Globalisation and international cooperation have led some developing countries to join the ranks of industrial and industrialising countries, brought medical and scientific discoveries to control diseases, saved lives and tried to keep planet Earth liveable, though this is increasingly hard.
Globalisation does not prevent wars, but in the absence of globalisation, as Financial Times commentator Martin Wolf intones, the fracturing of economic ties will deepen global discord. Even if the latest US moves on technology curbs to China may not mean comprehensive decoupling, they send a powerful signal in that direction.
Second, the Asean economy is quite integrated with China even though the US has the largest cumulative investments in the region. China is Asean’s largest trading partner. According to the Asean Secretariat, the total value of trade in goods between China and Asean in 2020 reached US$516.9 billion (S$725 billion), accounting for a quarter of Asean’s total foreign trade.
Asean is China’s largest trading partner, accounting for 14.7 per cent of China’s trade in 2020. Vietnam’s trade with China is 28.1 per cent of the Asean-China trade, Malaysia’s is 19.2 per cent, Thailand’s 14.4 per cent and Singapore’s 13 per cent. The four Asean countries account for 74.7 per cent of the total China-Asean trade. About half of the trade is in electronic goods. Asean economies will be collateral damage with the technology decoupling and there will be unintended consequences. We are affected but we do not have a vote in the US Congress or a say in US legislation. It is hard to make ourselves heard on matters of national security. It is difficult right now to calculate the outcome.

Some analysts suggest that US-China tensions could result in South-east Asia becoming the beneficiary. But for how long, and how to account for the entire production process, and who owns the diverted supply chains?
Industry leaders in the US all acknowledge there are national security concerns and have indicated they will support and work with the US government, though they note that the instrument used to protect national security should not be blunt.
Clearly, the latest moves will hurt the US semiconductor industry, which derives 30 per cent of its revenues from sales to China. It makes a difference to profit margins that support research and development in the industry. Chubb chief executive Evan Greenberg said at the recent gala dinner of the National Committee on US-China Relations in late October that the US government should challenge China on predatory practices, but that Chinese private sector firms that are not “national security sensitive should be embraced”. He added: “Active American participation in China is on balance good for America. Broad notions of decoupling and self-sufficiency are unrealistic.”
Now we know that presidents Biden and Xi will meet in Bali. That is good news. Leaders should talk, and in person. I also believe that if the region does not speak up, we would have missed an opportunity to impress on the two great powers our deep concerns. We look forward to a more stable and workable outcome and to build peace, security and an economically robust region together.

• Chan Heng Chee is Singapore’s Ambassador-at-Large and a professor at the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, Singapore University of Technology and Design.

 

[poore]

limpei also know how to say. sg should prepare for up to 69 yearsof US-china rivalry,just put a big number sure tio one

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Pinky, PM of a little red dot, trying to dictate what and how Xi and Biden should discuss

Stable geopolitical environment needed; Xi-Biden meeting would set the tone: PM Lee​

The upcoming meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US counterpart Joe Biden is important to improve relations, said PM Lee Hsien Loong. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

Tan Hui Yee
Indochina Bureau Chief


NOV 13, 2022

PHNOM PENH – A stable geopolitical environment is important for the region to continue prospering, and the upcoming meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart is key to improving relations, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The tone has to be set “right at the top”, PM Lee told journalists on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh on Sunday.
“And that means that the presidents of the two countries have to speak, be frank and lay out their cards. I think they understand what the stakes are, but to take it forward, that takes political will and wisdom on both sides.”
Asked about the planned meeting on Monday between Mr Xi and United States President Joe Biden at the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia, PM Lee said: “I hope it goes well. It’s important in order to stop the deterioration in their relations, to start to build trust, and to take steps to begin to work towards resolving the many individual issues – which are very difficult ones – between the two countries.”
Despite the heightened US-China rivalry and tumult caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the 18-country East Asia Summit saw the participation of Mr Biden, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Mr Biden signalled during the meeting that he would keep communication lines with Beijing open and ensure that US competition with China – which he stated would be vigorous – does not veer into conflict. He also said that his country would call out China’s human rights abuses.
Regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, PM Lee stressed that this had threatened stability by violating international law.

“We reiterate Asean’s desire for a swift and peaceful resolution of the conflict,” he said.

Cambodia, which is hosting this year’s Asean and East Asia summits, sidestepped these geopolitical tensions by issuing a chairman’s statement about the East Asia meeting that focused on women’s economic empowerment, strengthening energy cooperation, and promoting volunteerism for sustainable development.
“We noted with serious concern the surge and volatility of energy prices and the disruption of supply chains, due to the adverse impacts of ongoing and other military conflicts, amidst geopolitical challenges, along with the unprecedented impacts of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic on the global economy, on energy security, and the well-being and livelihoods of our people,” it said, urging the creation of a resilient and sustainable energy system.


Meanwhile, substantial negotiations to upgrade the Asean-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area were concluded – the first free trade pact Asean has upgraded since the pandemic hit.
Among the new features are commitments to work together to ensure the continued flow of essential goods during times of crisis.
Singapore has also signed a Digital Economy Partnership Agreement with New Zealand, and sealed a separate deal with Australia in October that PM Lee said would be “a pathfinder for regional cooperation in the green economy”.
“But the success of our efforts depends on a stable geopolitical and security environment,” he added.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Xi, Biden vow to avoid conflict and get China-US relations back on track​

1 of 4

US President Joe Biden (right) shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G-20 leaders' summit in Bali on Nov 14, 2022. PHOTO: REUTERS
Arlina Arshad and Danson Cheong

NOV 17, 2022


NUSA DUA, Indonesia – Chinese President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart Joe Biden expressed the desire for their countries to work together to manage tensions and avoid conflict, as they met in person on Monday for the first time since Mr Biden took office almost two years ago.
Acknowledging that the current state of bilateral relations was not what the international community had hoped for, the two leaders indicated that they were ready to work towards getting relations back on track and having their countries play key roles in addressing global challenges.
Before the start of the closely watched meeting, the two leaders shook hands and smiled for the cameras on the Indonesian island of Bali, on the eve of the Group of 20 (G-20) Leaders’ Summit.
“Mr President, it is good to see you,” Mr Xi told Mr Biden in his opening remarks, as he promised to have “a candid and in-depth exchange of views” on bilateral issues as well as major regional and global matters.
Relations between the two superpowers have deteriorated as they clashed over Taiwan, Russia’s war in Ukraine and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
The intense rivalry worsened after the visit to Taiwan by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Aug 2, despite Beijing’s warnings.
The visit enraged China, which launched military exercises near Taiwan and cancelled some cooperation projects with the US.

​

But Monday’s meeting showed the two presidents were ready to soothe prickly relations. It was a meeting that, in Mr Xi’s words, “attracted the world’s attention”.
“So, we need to work with all countries to bring more hope to world peace, greater confidence in global stability and stronger impetus to common development,” he said.
Mr Biden called for “continuing and ongoing open and honest dialogue we have always had”, adding that they need to find ways to work together on urgent global issues, which he believes is critical for the sake of the two countries and the international community.

Mr Xi also acknowledged that current bilateral ties are something of concern as they are “not the fundamental interests of our two countries and peoples, and not what the international community expects of us”.
He said he looked forward to working with Mr Biden to bring the relations “back to the track of healthy and stable growth to the benefit of the two countries and the world as a whole”.
“We need to find the right direction for the bilateral relationship going forward and elevate the relationship,” he added.
The two leaders had previously spoken over the phone or via video call five times, with the most recent phone call in July.

In a statement issued after the meeting in Bali that lasted over three hours, the White House cited Mr Biden as saying that both countries must “maintain open lines of communication” and manage competition responsibly. It also said that both leaders had tasked their teams to discuss ways to do this.
They also agreed to have officials deepen communication on transnational challenges, including climate change, global macroeconomic stability and food security, said the White House statement.
During the meeting, both sides also discussed issues including the war in Ukraine, trade and Taiwan.
The White House said the two leaders reiterated their agreement that a nuclear war should never be fought, and underscored their opposition to the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

On Taiwan, Mr Xi said this was “the very core of China’s core interests”, calling it the first “red line that must not be crossed” in bilateral relations.
“Anyone that seeks to split Taiwan from China will be violating the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation; the Chinese people will absolutely not let that happen,” said Mr Xi, according to the Chinese statement of the meeting.
Both sides also agreed that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken would visit China for further talks.
Mr Xi and Mr Biden are among 17 heads of state and governments who will gather on Tuesday and Wednesday for the G-20 Leaders’ Summit.
Analysts have said the war in Ukraine – which has sparked food and energy crises – could dominate the summit talks.
Indonesia’s G-20 presidency has been challenged by the conflict, with some countries initially threatening to boycott the summit should Russian President Vladimir Putin attend.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will represent Mr Putin, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to deliver a video address on Tuesday.

 

[mudhatter]

stinkypura is too tiny to matter to those population driven countries

it's a turd world sh*thole that only other turdworlders like ceca pinoys or burmese would find appealling and even then for them the apepal is receding.

stinkypura future does not apear t be very bright.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Biden-Xi meeting breaks ice; now for the thaw to last​

Nirmal Ghosh and Danson Cheong

The meeting in Bali between President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden is a recognition that China and the US still have to work together. PHOTO: AFP
UPDATED

NOV 17, 2022

WASHINGTON/BEIJING – Months after US-China relations plunged with Beijing cutting key dialogue channels with Washington over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the two superpowers look set to resume regular diplomatic engagement on issues such as climate change, trade and food security.
On Monday, there were no fundamental concessions on either side at their more than three-hour meeting in Bali.
But President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden, who have met before but not in person since Mr Biden took office, essentially applied the brakes on an increasingly dangerous downward spiral.
There need not be a new Cold War, Mr Biden said at a media conference later.
“And I do not think there is any imminent attempt on the part of China to invade Taiwan,” he added.
The United States and China are signalling a return to engagement, said Dr Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at the conservative Hudson Institute in Washington.
“The Indo-Pacific region can now imagine a more peaceful future, one in which US-China rivalry does not automatically lead to complete decoupling or war,” he said.

​

But he cautioned: “Devising agreed-upon principles on how to avert inadvertent escalation over Taiwan or as a result of third-party aggression may prove a more complicated element of diplomacy.”
There remain many points of disagreement, contention and friction in the complex relationship – apart from Taiwan, these include the South China Sea, China’s treatment of its Uighur minority and, increasingly, trade and technology.
The US’ recent export controls on high technology are widely seen as an explicit move to constrain China’s tech sector, even if American officials insist they are not.


Mr Biden reiterated his country’s “one China” policy, which recognises that Taiwan is a part of China. Beijing’s read-out reiterated China’s position, saying Mr Xi had said the Taiwan question is at the very core of China’s core interests, the bedrock of the political foundation of China-US relations, and “the first red line that must not be crossed” in their relations.
Still, the meeting is a recognition that China and the US still have to work together.

Professor Zhu Feng, dean of the Institute of International Relations at Nanjing University, said it is impossible for one meeting to reverse the course of US-China relations – but the Bali meeting offers promise that the decline in relations can be halted.
“China-US relations still face a very important and real obstacle... because of their individual domestic political concerns. Compromise in key areas is still not possible, but being able to restart cooperation and communication in some areas is a positive step,” he noted.
This meeting is going to make a difference in slowing the escalation in the deterioration of the relationship, said Dr Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group.
“I would like to believe, at least, that some of the hyperventilating around the likelihood of going to war over Taiwan, that we have seen on several occasions over the last nearly 24 months, we will see less of going forward,” he said.

In Washington, while the Biden administration has arguably been more hawkish with China than the preceding Donald Trump administration, the White House does have to contend with even more strident hawks in Congress.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio swiftly accused Mr Biden of being soft on China. “President Biden demonstrated that he is willing to sacrifice everything – including our national security and the security of our allies – for the sake of pursuing ill-fated climate talks with our nation’s greatest adversary,” the China hawk said in a statement.
Dr Cronin said: “For pragmatism to endure, Beijing and Washington must demonstrate that they can work together and... deliver some tangible results on real problems like food security, debt or climate change.”
Mr Ani Dasgupta, president and chief executive of the World Resources Institute, said in a statement: “The global community is breathing a sigh of relief that President Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are restarting joint efforts to tackle climate change.
“There is simply no time left for geopolitical fault lines to tear the US and China away from the climate negotiation table.”
He added: “We need exponential progress that can happen only if the world’s top two emitters commit to work together to combat climate change and support decarbonisation efforts worldwide.”

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Xi says Asia-Pacific is ‘no-one’s backyard’, rejects attempts to politicise trade and economic relations​

China's President Xi Jinping during the opening of the G-20 Leaders' Summit in Bali on Nov 15, 2022. PHOTO: REUTERS
Tan Tam Mei and Tan Hui Yee

NOV 18, 2022

BANGKOK - Chinese President Xi Jinping said the Asia-Pacific would not stand for any attempt to wage a “new Cold War” in the region, which is “no one’s backyard”, as he called for deeper, non-discriminatory cooperation among regional countries on Thursday.
“The Asia-Pacific is no one’s backyard and should not become an arena for big power contests. No attempt to wage a new Cold War will ever be allowed by the people or by our times,” he said in written remarks to regional and business leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) CEO Summit.
Mr Xi also urged the region to strive for “higher-standard connectivity”, in the remarks that were distributed by the Chinese embassy in Thailand.
“China will actively enhance the complementarity between the Belt and Road Initiative and the development strategies of other parties to jointly build a high-quality Asia-Pacific connectivity network,” he added.
Mr Xi, who had a series of high-profile meetings with international leaders this week, was due to speak at the summit, but his in-person speech was cancelled due to scheduling conflicts, said meeting organisers.
“Unilateralism and protectionism should be rejected by all; any attempt to politicise and weaponise economic and trade relations should also be rejected by all,” his remarks read.
While he did not name the United States in particular, the Asia-Pacific region has seen growing economic and political rifts between China and the United States result in heightened tensions.

Earlier this week at the Group of 20 (G-20) Leaders’ Summit in Bali, Indonesia, Mr Xi had called for inclusive development and slammed “group politics and bloc confrontation”.
He also held an ice-breaking meeting with US President Joe Biden after months of escalating rhetoric between their two countries.
Arriving in Bangkok on Thursday ahead of the Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting on Friday and Saturday, Mr Xi held meetings with several regional leaders, including Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

He is due to meet New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern on Friday, and Thai Premier Prayut Chan-o-cha on Saturday.
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said maintaining open lines of communication between the US and China is vital to avoid conflict and work together on challenges like the climate crisis and health security.

“Neither of our countries, or any other for that matter, can solve (these challenges) alone,” he said, addressing reporters after the Apec ministerial meetings.
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai also said that the current geopolitical fallout and climate crisis have shaken people’s confidence in the global economic system, and Apec is in a position to build more durable and resilient economies.
In particular, the US is committed to working with Apec economies in two areas – protecting the environment and addressing shared challenges like supply chain disruptions and economic inequality.
“The right trade policies can facilitate access to lower-emission goods and services, promote investment and climate-friendly technologies and help incentivise environmental protection,” she said.
During the Apec ministerial meetings, which are a precursor to the Apec leaders meeting, ministers from the 21 member economies agreed to pursue sustainable economic growth as they worked towards a free trade area in the Asia-Pacific.
According to Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit, the ministers agreed to drive forward the Thailand-originated Bio-Circular-Green Economy Model, under which science and technology are applied to make efficient use of resources and restore the environment, and to help businesses to thrive.

The Bangkok gathering is the last of three summits that have drawn global leaders to South-east Asia over the past week. The first was the Asean summits in Phnom Penh, which concluded on Nov 13, followed by the G-20 summit in Bali that ended on Wednesday.
Discussions on post-pandemic economic recovery at these forums have been clouded by increasingly brittle US-China ties and the Ukraine-Russia war, which has caused prices of food, fuel and agriculture products to spike across the world.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

PM Lee and China’s President Xi meet in Bangkok, reaffirm close ties​

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bangkok, on Nov 17, 2022. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Goh Yan Han
Political Correspondent


NOV 17, 2022

BANGKOK - Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on Thursday evening in the Thai capital, where they reaffirmed the close and multi-faceted relationship between both countries.
The two leaders said Singapore and China have continued to strengthen cooperation, even amid the Covid-19 pandemic and evolving global challenges, said PM Lee’s press secretary Chang Li Lin following the meeting.
The leaders’ first in-person meeting in three years was also attended by Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
At the meeting, PM Lee congratulated Mr Xi on the successful conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, while Mr Xi updated PM Lee on the congress and his plans for China’s development.
PM Lee and Mr Xi also exchanged views on bilateral relations, and regional and international developments, including on the importance of maintaining stable United States-China relations, added Ms Chang.
Mr Xi said China welcomes Singapore’s deep participation in its efforts to build a new development model, and that high-quality cooperation should be the hallmark of the two countries’ cooperation, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
China also wants to work with Singapore to jointly promote its Global Development Initiative (GDI) in the region, according to the statement. The GDI is China’s vision of helping developing countries meet the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by providing support in areas such as climate change, food security, poverty alleviation and public health.

Mr Xi reiterated his invitation to PM Lee to visit China soon, and PM Lee also welcomed Mr Xi to visit Singapore again.
Both leaders are in Bangkok to attend the 29th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting, which takes place on Friday and Saturday.
The two leaders arrived in Bangkok from Bali, Indonesia, where they had attended the Group of 20 Leaders’ Summit.
PM Lee and Mr Xi last met in person in April 2019 at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. They last spoke over the phone in October 2021 and discussed ways to jointly boost economic recovery.
Mr Xi has been holding a string of bilateral talks in November, on the sidelines of international summits in the region. He had earlier met US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Bali, among others. He is also scheduled to meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Bangkok on Thursday.
PM Lee will meet Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee on Friday.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Scope for Singapore-China cooperation very wide, says PM Lee​

PM Lee Hsien Loong meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bangkok on Nov 17. PHOTO: ST FILE

Tan Hui Yee
Indochina Bureau Chief


NOV 19, 2022

BANGKOK - While the overall geopolitical environment is complex, the scope for potential cooperation between Singapore and China is very wide if both countries can maintain good ties and mutual trust, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Saturday.
Speaking to Singapore reporters in Bangkok after the conclusion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines on Thursday, PM Lee said both countries are very keen to strengthen ties.
“The overall environment is relatively complicated, but the important thing is that if we can maintain mutual trust with China and maintain good relations between both countries, the scope and the potential for cooperation are still very large,” he said in Mandarin. While some areas are more sensitive or difficult than others, “the will of both parties is very strong”.
“I believe that we can continue to deepen our exchanges with China,” he added.
Both countries inked 19 memorandums of understanding in November that spanned areas such as innovation, health and green economy.
The Nov 17 meeting with Mr Xi was both leaders’ first face-to-face encounter in three years. Recalling their discussion, PM Lee said: “I had a good talk with Xi Jinping. He said that our bilateral cooperation should be strengthened and deepened, and there should be high-quality economic cooperation.”
Turning to the escalating rivalry between the United States and China, which has raised concern in a region eager to stay neutral, PM Lee said in Mandarin: “While both sides say that they do not want third countries to choose sides, when discussing specific issues, everyone hopes to have more friends in the world. In such an environment, we can only move forward as carefully as possible.”


He stressed: “I hope that both countries, in fact all countries, know that we are not speaking for anyone when we move forward. We move forward with Singapore’s interests in mind. We are friendly to all countries, we will retain and defend our important interests, but we do not intend to harm the interests of any country.
“Under such circumstances, we have room for cooperation and development.”

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

A multipolar world can benefit both US and China: George Yeo​

Former foreign minister George Yeo said China needs to act in a way that shows the multipolar world it believes in is also good for the US. ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN

Chin Soo Fang
Senior Correspondent

Dec 16, 2022

SINGAPORE - A multipolar world can be good for both China and the US, but both sides will have to work hard at achieving a peaceful transition to it, said former Singapore foreign minister George Yeo on Thursday.
“The US is not used to the idea of a multipolar world, but it is not necessarily bad for the US. In fact, I would argue that it will help extend the period of US ascendancy in the world, and in a good way,” he said.
And as a multipolar world benefits China, the country should act in a way which, over time, persuades the US that the kind of multipolarity China envisages is also good for the US, he added.
Mr Yeo, a visiting scholar with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, was speaking on the theme of “China in a Multipolar World” at the Goh Keng Swee Lecture on Modern China held at the National University of Singapore.
This year’s lecture commemorates the 25th anniversary of the East Asian Institute, which Mr Yeo officially opened 25 years ago.
In his one-hour lecture, he posited that the United States is more likely to renew itself as a beacon for the world by moving towards multipolarity instead of preventing it. This is because its efforts to maintain dominance, as shown in its current policy of identifying Russia as enemy and China as strategic competitor, are likely to be unsustainable.
China, on the other hand, never had the ambition of making itself the single pole, Mr Yeo added. This would have been too difficult, and would also affect China’s homogeneity and make it more difficult to govern.

China’s strong preference has always been to manage difficult neighbours using economic leverage rather than to subdue them militarily, Mr Yeo said.
However, China needs to act in a way that shows the multipolar world it believes in is also good for the US, he added.
In the short term, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may have taken some US heat off China. China is also carefully analysing the Ukraine war, as a similar but larger hybrid war may be unleashed on it should it decide to move forcefully on Taiwan, Mr Yeo told an audience of about 300 people.

But it is unlikely their bilateral relations will improve at this time.
“The US sees China’s rise as a challenge to its dominance in the world and would want to slow or put it down if it could,” Mr Yeo said. “It is determined to deny China cutting-edge technologies, especially those which can be put to military use, like artificial intelligence and quantum computing.”
Mr Yeo noted that one reason for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s tightening of controls in China is preparation for the possibility of war with the US. Mr Xi had put on an army uniform and told the People’s Liberation Army to be prepared for war before his recent meeting with US President Joe Biden. On the US side, successive Indo-Pacific commanders have reminded American servicemen to be prepared to fight “tonight”.
However, by anticipating an eventual multipolar configuration in the world, the US can get into a more sustainable long-term position, Mr Yeo said.
“Instead of seeking dominance everywhere, the US should focus on the areas where its political and military power can tilt the balance.”
He added: “This means it has to accept many parts of the world for what they are, warts and all, and not try to transform them in its own image.”

Citing China’s Belt and Road Initiative as an example, Mr Yeo said that if the US takes a more relaxed attitude, every country involved in it will naturally want a stronger American presence so that it will have greater negotiating leverage with China.
In the South China Sea, US naval ships should stay beyond the horizon but within radar range so that Asean countries have a potential counterweight that is unspoken and best left unused in their negotiations with China. If US ships sail within visual range, the South China Sea will be turned into an arena of conflict between the US and China, and China may well turn nasty against Asean, Mr Yeo said.
For China, in the case of the South China Sea, it should meet Asean 60-40 on the code of conduct instead of halfway, since it is so much bigger and stronger. This will help defuse an issue that is easily exploited by external powers.
Similarly, for its border dispute with India, China should go more than halfway – maybe 55-45 – because India feels it is the weaker power.
Mr Yeo said the original liberal idea of accepting diversity created the US and made it the greatest country on earth.
He noted that Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew admired the US for its ability to attract and incorporate talent from all over the world. In recent years, though, the US liberal idea has become intolerant, dividing American society from within.
“Whether the US can be primus inter pares in a multipolar world depends on the outcome of the ongoing drama in US domestic politics today,” Mr Yeo added. “China should not be embroiled in that drama by making it clear that, in a multipolar world, it is happy to live with the US as first among equals.”

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Asean not interested in doing business with single major power exclusively: George Yeo​

Mr Yeo underscored the role that the Asean can play in global affairs by helping to break down barriers and facilitate discussions. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

Hariz Baharudin
Assistant News Editor

Jan 10, 2023

SINGAPORE – It would be a mistake to think that Asean is interested in doing business with any one major power exclusively, said former Singapore foreign minister George Yeo on Tuesday.
Highlighting how diversification is important for the region and its continued growth, he said: “When other big powers see their presence in South-east Asia as a zero-sum game, they are making a very big mistake.
“It does not mean that because we are close to China, we are not close to them. In fact, it is the opposite. The closer we are to China, the more we see our (trade) accounts growing, the more uncomfortable we are that our economy will be circumscribed.”
This would mean that countries in the region would welcome other major powers more, he added.
Mr Yeo, a visiting scholar with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, made these points on the regional bloc during a keynote address that opened the annual Regional Outlook Forum.
The forum, organised by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute to tackle key economic and political issues facing the region, was held at the Shangri-La Hotel. It was held as an in-person event for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
In his address, Mr Yeo also underscored the role that the Asean can play in global affairs by helping to break down barriers and facilitate discussions.


He pointed out that multipolarity is not naturally stable but inherently dynamic, given how some forces are stronger than others, so there will always be a need for talks. “In this way, Asean can play a special role,” said Mr Yeo.
He zoomed in on the recent Group of 20 (G-20) summit in Bali last November and said that its leader, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, did an impressive job in handling the complicated situation amid tensions between different powers such as the United States and Russia.
Under Indonesia’s watch, the G-20, where United States President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping had their historic first in-person meeting since Mr Biden took office, provided an atmosphere for various leaders to engage with one another, said Mr Yeo.

He added: “This is the kind of role that Asean can play. Not by interposing itself, by saying ‘we are right, you are wrong, and this is how the world should be’. But just by being gracious, by showing respect, by nodding, by acknowledging.
“In such a way, by providing a way to break down divisions, it can make the region more comfortable, and hopefully, the world a better place.”
Mr Yeo also took questions from the more than 300 academics, diplomats and business leaders who attended the event on Tuesday.
Responding to an audience member who asked about how domestic politics can affect regional politics, Mr Yeo touched on the situation in Myanmar and said that the situation there needs to be handled before it worsens further.


Following the February 2021 military coup in Myanmar that has killed more than 2,000 people so far, Asean drew up a five-point peace plan with the country’s military in April 2021 that was intended to bring an end to the chaos. Hardly any progress has been made on these plans.
Global attention is increasingly being focused on what the military there will do next, as its imposed state of emergency is due to expire at the end of January, after which the Constitution states that the authorities must set in motion plans to hold fresh elections.
Myanmar’s military has said it would hold free and fair multi-party elections, but some in the global community have said that these would most likely be a sham.
Mr Yeo said that for these upcoming elections to be successful, former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is now in jail, will have to be part of the solution.
The future of Asean will also be affected by the future of Myanmar, and therefore the regional grouping has to be involved in these elections, stressed Mr Yeo.
“If Asean is not involved, then the elections will be of no use.” he said.

 

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Singapore and Asean can benefit from a multipolar world, says George Yeo​

Economies within Asean will become even more important as a trade and manufacturing hub in a fractured global economy, said Mr George Yeo. PHOTO: ISEAS

Ovais Subhani
Senior Correspondent

Jan 11, 2023

SINGAPORE – Singapore and other South-east Asian economies can continue to prosper even in a divided world if they succeed in striking a balanced relationship with major economic powers, said the Republic’s former foreign minister George Yeo.
Speaking at the UOB Global Markets Economic Forum held on Wednesday in Singapore, he added that the global economy is going through a turbulent transition to a multipolar world, which will include a multipolar financial system.
However, economies within the 10-member Asean will become even more important as a trade and manufacturing hub in a fractured global economy, said Mr Yeo who served as foreign minister between 2004 and 2011.
“The way the world is going, Asean will become more and more attractive to more and more major powers,” noted Mr Yeo, who is now a visiting scholar at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.
He said the people of South-east Asia have historically displayed an instinctive know-how to deal with a multipolar world.
“All of us have a keen sense of balance,” he added.
He said that while China’s economic heft has made it the pre-eminent challenger to Western hegemony, in time other major powers will also seek alternatives to the global financial system dominated in the past several decades by the United States.


“So if we play it right, South-east Asia has a very bright future in the multipolar world,” he added.
“The Chinese will need us, Americans will need us and the Japanese will need us. We are connected in a million different ways not only with China but with all parts of the world.”
And with Singapore smack in the middle of the region, it “will benefit a lot if we position ourselves right”, he said.


Mr Frederick Chin, UOB’s head of group wholesale banking and markets, said the decoupling of the US and China since the trade war that started in 2018 has triggered a reorganisation of global supply chains.
“Yet, major economies remain highly interconnected, thriving on trade and collaboration,” he added.
He said Asean should take advantage of the reorganisation of supply chains and open up to the resultant investment flows.
“Given today’s multipolar world, we should be expecting a new post-Covid-19 era of reglobalisation along a different set of geopolitical objectives,” he added.


UOB’s head of research Suan Teck Kin, in his presentation of the bank’s macroeconomic view for 2023, showed how Asean has increased its share of trade with both the US and China since 2018.
Mr Yeo said China does not want its renminbi to replace the US dollar as the currency of global reserves and payments, as it would require the world’s second-largest economy to fully open up its capital markets to foreign players.
“I don’t believe China will ever fully open up its capital markets,” he added.
However, China will remain the single most important manufacturing hub, its currency will be one of the major ones in the world and its domestic economy will become a major driver of global growth in the coming decades, just as the US domestic economy was in the past decades.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

US-Singapore bilateral exercise returns after two years​

The USS Makin Island at Changi Naval Base on Jan 11, 2023. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Andrew Wong

Jan 11, 2023

SINGAPORE – Members of the Singapore and United States forces will take part in their first bilateral Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training exercise in the Republic’s territorial waters after two years.
Exercise Carat 2023, which will involve the American ship USS Makin Island, will last for five days until Jan 13. The last edition was held in 2020, Mindef said.
The exercises are part of Washington’s annual bilateral military exercises held with several nations in South-east Asia. Makin Island was earlier in Situbondo and Surabaya in Indonesia for a 15-day joint exercise that concluded on Dec 21 last year.
“These exercises have always been to share knowledge, hone our skills and cooperate with different partners in the region,” said Captain Tony Chavez, commanding officer of the USS Makin Island.
The exercises at sea will include the use of land craft utility vehicles, he added. The aviation capability and digital interoperability between both nations will also be tested.
Mindef declined to provide more details as Carat 2023 is ongoing.
The Makin Island is an amphibious assault ship with sea to shore capabilities. It can accommodate some 2,900 people onboard. The ship also houses its own medical wing, with six operating rooms and a 17-bed intensive care unit.

The ICU in the medical facility of USS Makin Island. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Beyond the various amphibious vehicles onboard, Makin Island can also deploy up to 10 F-35B fifth-generation fighter jets, 10 MV-22 Osprey aircrafts and three MH-60 Sierra helicopters.

Servicemen carrying out maintenance on the MV-22B Osprey on the flight deck of USS Makin Island. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The bilateral exercises are also a key part of the White House’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
Ensuring the freedom of navigation is key for the US forces, Captain Chavez added, saying the US Navy will continue to act as a deterrence to external threats and keep the sea lanes open for all nations.
Colonel Samuel L. Meyer, commanding officer of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, said: “We’re here. We’re here with our partners and allies. We’re committed to that relationship, and peace and security in the region.”
On Dec 21 last year, a US unarmed reconnaissance plane was forced to perform evasive manoeuvres to avoid colliding with a Chinese navy fighter jet over the South China Sea.
This comes as China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its sovereign territory, with the White House calling that “expansive and unlawful”.
The close encounter followed what the US has called a recent trend of increasingly dangerous behaviour by Chinese military aircraft.
Beijing responded that Washington’s actions in the South China Sea “seriously endanger China’s national security”. China added that it will continue to take the necessary measures to defend its sovereignty and security.

 

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S'pore hopes US and China can refrain from actions that will escalate tensions: Vivian Balakrishnan​

Stable US-China relations are vital for regional peace and prosperity, said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. PHOTO: REUTERS

Hariz Baharudin
Assistant News Editor

AUG 3, 2022


PHNOM PENH - Singapore hopes the United States and China can avoid actions that will raise tensions, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on Wednesday (Aug 3).
"Stable US-China relations are vital for regional peace and prosperity. Singapore hopes that the US and China can work out a modus vivendi, exercise self-restraint and refrain from actions that will further escalate tensions," he said in a Facebook post.
A modus vivendi refers to an arrangement that lets parties facing disagreements coexist peacefully, either indefinitely or until a final settlement is reached.
Dr Balakrishnan is in the Cambodian capital with his counterparts from the region for the 55th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting, where US-China ties and developments on both sides of the Taiwan Strait were also discussed.
"Asean is also watching cross-strait developments with concern," he wrote.
The comments come as Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan and met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen as part of her visit to the region.
China has condemned the visit, calling it a "provocation" by the United States, and said it would carry out military drills around the island.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Asean wants US, China to cool tensions, which are hurting global economy: Vivian Balakrishnan​

Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said both sides are not looking for conflict, but the situation now is dangerous for the region. PHOTO: MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Hariz Baharudin
Assistant News Editor


AUG 5, 2022


PHNOM PENH - Asean countries want temperatures between the United States and China to come down, especially with military manoeuvres in the region bringing a real risk of accidents and miscalculations, said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
Both sides are not looking for conflict, but the situation now is dangerous for the region, he warned, underscoring how important it was for South-east Asia that the two superpowers get along.
Dr Balakrishnan was speaking to Singapore reporters on Friday (Aug 5) at the close of the 55th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Phnom Penh, where ministers from the grouping also met their counterparts from key partners, including China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Dr Balakrishnan said during these talks, he observed that both sides were not looking for conflict.
Recounting his conversation with Mr Wang on Thursday, Dr Balakrishnan said he conveyed that "the main danger is you've got a lot of ships and planes and missiles massed around there".
"Even though I know you don't want to go to war, there is a danger of accidents and miscalculations. So for what it's worth, we've made the appeal that for the rest of us in South-east Asia - we actually want temperatures to come down."
China embarked on its largest-ever live-firing military drill in the waters around Taiwan following a controversial visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Her visit has angered China, which had warned against it and called it a provocation, while the US said it did not change America’s one-China policy.
On Friday, Beijing announced that it would suspend cooperation with the US on a range of issues, including talks on climate change.
Dr Balakrishnan, who met Mrs Pelosi when she visited Singapore on Monday, noted that although her visit to Taiwan was not the first by a US House Speaker, it did take place at a very politically sensitive time for both China and the US.

This has contributed to raising the temperature and tensions on the ground, he added.
He said he understood why both sides had to take a stand, for political reasons.
China takes the visit "very seriously", noted Dr Balakrishnan. "They've couched it in terms of territorial integrity, sovereignty. And you know, once you get into that, you actually have to take a very, very strong stand, which is what we are witnessing right now."
The breaking down of the relationship between the US and China means the potential end of a peaceful and prosperous period, said the minister. He said that at the end of the second world war, peace and prosperity came about due to globalisation, economic integration and free trade. This allowed countries, including Singapore, to rapidly progress.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (centre) leaving before the start of a gala dinner of foreign ministers. PHOTO: AFP
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Vivian encourages greater engagement, dialogue by all sides in meeting with Blinken
Vivian Balakrishnan stresses need to avoid miscalculation, accidents in meeting with Wang Yi
But conflict between the superpowers means high prices, less efficient supply chains and a more divided, disruptive and dangerous world, warned Dr Balakrishnan.
"So those are the stakes. So when we make the appeal, please have a care. I know you have to compete, maybe even confront, but we all have skin in this game. And we do want America and China to get along," he said, referring to his request to Mr Wang.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attending the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Phnom Penh on Aug 5, 2022. PHOTO: AFP
In response to a question on the matter, Dr Balakrishnan noted that neither China nor the US has asked Asean member states to pick sides.
Asean operates on the principle of an "overlapping circle of friends", which works to find partnerships that can benefit one or many countries at the same time, he said.
For instance, while China is Asean's trading partner and vice versa, a lot of the trade involved also consists of intermediate goods that are ultimately also destined for markets in the US and the European Union, said Dr Balakrishnan.
"We are not looking for a line that bisects Asia, that forces countries to choose sides, invidious choices and false dilemmas."

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Vivian encourages greater engagement, dialogue by all sides in meeting with Blinken​

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in Phnom Penh on Aug 5, 2022. PHOTO: MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Hariz Baharudin
Assistant News Editor

AUG 5, 2022

PHNOM PENH - Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has called for greater engagement among senior leaders and more discussions by all sides to build trust, in light of recent developments in the Taiwan Strait.
He made these points in a meeting with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday (Aug 5), Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said.
"Minister Balakrishnan and Secretary Blinken discussed regional and global issues, including US-China relations and recent developments in the Taiwan Strait," MFA said in a statement.
"Minister Balakrishnan emphasised the need to avoid miscalculation and accidents, which could lead to an escalatory spiral and destabilise the region. He encouraged greater engagement by the senior leadership and dialogue by all sides to build strategic trust," the statement added.
Both ministers were in Phnom Penh for the 55th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) and related meetings.
The meeting came as US-China tensions continued to rise. China on Friday announced that it would suspend cooperation with the US on a range of issues, including talks on climate change, following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan on Tuesday (Aug 2) and Wednesday.
During their meeting, Dr Balakrishnan and Mr Blinken reaffirmed the excellent and longstanding partnership between Singapore and the US, MFA said.


"There is good momentum in high-level exchanges, including visits by Prime Minister Lee (Hsien Loong) to the US and working visits to Singapore by several Cabinet Secretaries to Singapore," it added.
Dr Balakrishnan also invited Mr Blinken to visit Singapore.
He welcomed the US' continued and constructive engagement in the region and looked forward to the early conclusion of an open, inclusive and flexible Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, the ministry said.
The trade initiative, launched in May, currently has 14 member countries and seeks to deepen engagement on agreed standards in four main areas: the digital economy, supply chains, clean energy infrastructure and anti-corruption measures.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Lack of trust between China, US further complicating fraught world order: Vivian Balakrishnan​

Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan (right) and Mr Daniel Russel, the Asia Society Policy Institute's vice-president for international security and diplomacy, at an Asia Society discussion in New York on Sept 23, 2022. PHOTO: MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Nirmal Ghosh
US Bureau Chief

SEP 24, 2022

WASHINGTON - Lack of trust between China and the US adds complexity in a global order currently under attack, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan told an audience at the Asia Society in New York on Friday.
"The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a full frontal assault on the UN Charter, on a formula which has generally enabled peace, order, security and prosperity for decades," he said.
Dr Balakrishnan is in New York for the 77th United Nations General Assembly and related meetings, including the Alliance of Small Island States Leaders' Meeting and the Informal Asean Ministerial Meeting, plus bilateral meetings with his counterparts and US interlocutors based in New York.
He was hosted at the Asia Society by Mr Daniel Russel, vice-president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute.
Both the war and the Covid-19 pandemic have created persistent supply chain disruptions, Dr Balakrishnan noted.
"We are also witnessing a period of prolonged and record inflation, and we do not think this is going to be solved in the near future," he said.
"On top of that, you have got a food and energy crisis as well."

This "perfect long storm" has caused great anxiety in domestic politics globally, and the "complicated and difficult relationship between the United States and China adds another layer of complexity, risk and danger to this perfect long storm", he said.
As China's strategic and economic influence has grown, so has its sense of vulnerability - and there is a strong and emerging sense of nationalism in China, Dr Balakrishnan noted.
"It is not only the so-called democracies that have domestic politics," he added. "Communist regimes also have domestic politics, and leaders also have to respond to the anxieties and the zeitgeist of their own societies."

He said: "We have all witnessed a China that has become more muscular in defending its interests. It has taken a more active international stance in the belief that its time has come, and it wants to assume its rightful place in the world order.
"The key missing ingredient in this relationship, from the perspective of a dispassionate third country, is that there is a lack of strategic trust between the United States and China.

"Just as in human relationships, when trust is absent, there is a danger of always assuming the worst about the other party. The danger is that you end up in a potentially escalatory spiral. Actions and words by one party, reactions and counter responses by the other party.
"This raises the prospect of miscalculations or mishaps. I think the ultimate focal point for this is the Taiwan Strait, which is the reddest of red lines for Beijing."
The US-China rivalry inevitably affects all - and especially Asia, he said. As for South-east Asia, it is natural for some countries to be closer to one side or the other.
"But nobody wants to be forced to make invidious choices. Nobody wants to become a vassal state or a cat's paw or a stalking horse - whichever metaphor you use. There can be no good outcome for us in Asia if our countries are forced into two camps with a line in between.
"In our view, a less tense and more stable and constructive configuration is for both China and the US to have overlapping circles of friends," he said.
He emphasised the metaphor of overlapping circles of friends, as opposed to a hard line or new wall, or a cold war or an even greater danger ahead.
"It is our hope that this would be a more stable, durable and peaceful configuration, and offer more prosperity for all of us in Asia," he said.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Look at South-east Asia on our own merits, not through a US vs China lens: Vivian Balakrishnan​

Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan delivering an address at Asia Society in New York on Sept 23, 2022. PHOTO: MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Nirmal Ghosh
US Bureau Chief

SEP 24, 2022

WASHINGTON - South-east Asia has great potential and the region holds positive views of the United States, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on Friday at the Asia Society in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
"The future of South-east Asia is bright," he added.
"But the point I am trying to make is this: Look at us, South-east Asia, on our own merits and not simply through a US versus China lens.
"You (America) have a head start, you are welcome, you are wanted."
South-east Asia expects its combined gross domestic product, which currently stands at US$3 trillion (S$4.3 trillion), to double - if not quadruple - over the next two decades, he said.
"If that happens, that would make Asean the fourth-largest economy in the world," the minister added.
"Therefore, if you believe that we are moving into a multipolar world, South-east Asia will be one of those... poles."

He noted that the region's population is still young, with 60 per cent of its people below the age of 35.
"This means there is a demographic dividend to be harvested and tremendous economic potential if - and this is a big 'if' - things go right."
The US has invested more in South-east Asia than China, Japan and India combined, he said, adding that US trade with South-east Asia supports more than half a million American jobs.

"In 2021 alone, in the depths of Covid-19, US investment flows into South-east Asia totalled US$40 billion," said Dr Balakrishnan.
"That is a 41 per cent year-on-year increase, and more than mainland China, which I think came in at about US$14 billion, or Japan at US$12 billion."
He pointed out that human society was at an inflection point, in which fundamental breakthroughs in basic research and applied science have led to an era of digital revolution and interlocking revolutions in energy transformation, artificial intelligence, robotics and synthetic biology.

This would have profound political and social impacts on all societies, he said.
"If we can avoid war and if we can continue to work together... we have the potential to reach a new golden age," he added.
"America, China, Europe, Asia, South-east Asia, Africa and Latin America can all partake in a new age of prosperity."
But "it will require domestic reform. It will require investments in domestic infrastructure, education, training, people, building social capital and equity", he said.
"By building domestic confidence, I believe it will also help defuse some of the tensions, as far as foreign policy is concerned."
He emphasised: "If we can get through the next two years, not lose our heads and not lose hope, and continue to invest in our own people, we in fact have the prospect of many great decades ahead of us."

Citing the US' 2017 withdrawal from the erstwhile Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Dr Balakrishnan said: "I have been speaking to a multitude of administration officials, congressmen and senators. When I meet them one on one, nobody makes a strategic argument against the TPP, but everybody tells me somewhat ruefully that it cannot be done for domestic political reasons."
But foreign policy and trade policy begin at home, he said.
"You have got to embark on the necessary reform and investment in your domestic capacity. You need to build up social and political capital and then engage and re-engage the world with confidence. That is my pitch. We will see what happens next."
He added: "We at least have the latest game in town, the IPEF - the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework - which very studiously avoids any mention of market access.
"But... to the extent that it reflects American acknowledgement that there are opportunities out across the Pacific and continued engagement - that is a positive."
He said: "Singapore will stand fully shoulder to shoulder (with the US) on this endeavour. But you need to do more - that is the message."

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Vivian Balakrishnan urges US and China to de-escalate tensions in Taiwan Strait at G-20 talks​

Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan at the G-20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi. PHOTO: MFA

Nirmala Ganapathy
India Bureau Chief

MAR 3, 2023

NEW DELHI - Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan urged China and the US to de-escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea at the Group of 20 (G-20) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.
Speaking at a plenary session on strengthening multilateralism, Dr Balakrishnan said there was a need for the “two biggest superpowers in the room to engage intensely and comprehensively with each other. They need to de-escalate the tensions for those of us in Asia, especially in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea”.
Underlining the importance of multilateralism, he added: “We need the leadership of both the US and China if we are to deal with any of the global challenges that confront us.”
Tensions between the United States and China have been simmering in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.
In another speech at a second plenary session, Dr Balakrishnan highlighted the need for countries to work together to counter radicalisation and terrorism.
“On terrorism, even a tiny city state, modern and compact as Singapore, has our share of people who are self-radicalised – typically young men. They do not need to travel to become radicalised; they surf the Internet,” he said.
The G-20 includes 19 of the world’s largest economies plus the European Union.

Singapore has been invited as Convenor of the Global Governance Group, which comprises 30 small and medium-sized members of the United Nations and seeks to facilitate greater engagement between the G-20 and the wider UN membership, said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs press statement.
The G-20 meeting has been dominated by disagreements over the Ukraine war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a surprise meeting on the sidelines of the talks to end its “war of aggression”. Due to deep divisions over the war between the participants, no joint statement was issued at the end of the talks.
Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine, according to the Chair’s Summary and Outcome Document that was released instead at the end of the meeting.
Dr Balakrishnan noted in the first plenary session: “The war in Ukraine needs to stop. All of us need to comply with the UN Charter and to defend the right of all nations, big or small, to have their independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity fully respected.”
Still, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar maintained there were areas of convergence.
There was a large number of issues where there was agreement: multilateralism, food and energy security, climate change, gender issues, global health, terrorism. There was a considerable meeting of minds,” said Dr Jaishankar. “If we had a perfect meeting of minds, we could have had a collective statement, but divergences on Ukraine did come in the way of that.”

Dr Balakrishnan at a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit, with Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong. PHOTO: MFA
On the sidelines of the G-20 meeting, Dr Balakrishnan also met his counterparts from Australia, Brazil, the European Union, France, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom, said a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Singapore & Australia share a deep friendship & similar strategic perspectives. We will continue to work closely across many different areas, including supply chain resilience & the green economy,” the minister tweeted on his meeting with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong.