The security situations in Asia and Europe are very different because of each region’s respective dynamics with China and Russia, Singapore’s former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong has said.
While several European nations would consider Moscow a security threat and want to boost their collective defence, China is not an existential issue for most countries in Asia, and many want to continue doing business while managing ties with Beijing, according to Lee.
Speaking at a forum at British think-tank Chatham House in London on Monday, the senior minister said there were exceptions to the rule. He cited Japan, which had disputes with Beijing over the Diaoyu Islands and a troubled World War II history, and Australia because of its alliance with the US and the way it viewed the actions of the Chinese in the South China Sea.
