SINO-US RELATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL LAW
On navigating the growing US-China rivalry, Dr Balakrishnan said during the dialogue that this is a “peculiarly sensitive existential point”, and maintaining trust with both powers is vital to Singapore.
“The key challenge for us is to maintain trust with both the United States and China, not as a vassal state, not as a tributary state, but as a small but hopefully relevant and useful partner,” said Dr Balakrishnan.
He said that the US remains important to Singapore as a source of foreign investment and technology, as well as a key market for goods and services.
On China, Dr Balakrishnan pointed to Singapore’s deep linguistic, cultural and historical links with the country, noting that 74 per cent of Singapore’s population is of Chinese ancestry.
“As far as we can do so, we will refuse to choose because the moment you choose, in fact, you’ve lost strategic options,” he said.
Dr Balakrishnan added that Singapore also would not want to be in a position where either superpower could use the country as a proxy or a lever.
“My preferred option is to maintain a clear, steady, principled, consistent position, so that whatever they do, if I have to say no, we have to say no to you because we’ve done our own calculations of what’s in our enlightened long-term national interest.”
Asked by Mr Ditizio what the collective rejection of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz would mean in practice, and whether it would change how Singapore views regional energy security, Dr Balakrishnan stressed the importance of protecting the right of passage through international waterways.
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