Todd Bishop
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered a speech at the 2019 National Day Mass Conference on the evening of August 18. He pointed out that neither China nor the United States have found a panacea to deal with its differences. The tension between China and the United States will not be resolved in the short term, which will affect the global order.
Li Xianlong’s speech at the National Day Rally pointed out that China-US disputes have caused countries to be in contradiction, but he believes that no country, including Singapore, should choose to stand by.
Lee Hsien Loong said that the United States must work hard to establish constructive bilateral relations with China and realize that it is neither wise nor wise to prevent the rise of the latter. As a global power, China should “consider other countries and consider their interests.” And what is regrettable and worrying is that neither China nor the United States have found a panacea that can handle their differences. Their tension will not be resolved in the short term, which will affect the global order.”
Singapore does not choose the side station
In his speech, Lee Hsien Loong also talked about the relationship between China and the United States and Singapore. He pointed out that Singapore and both countries are good friends and hope that the relationship will remain unchanged. He pointed out that China and Singapore “have the same kind of advantages, which will help us to continue and deepen the exchanges between the people and culture, help the two countries to establish friendly relations, understand each other and become partners.” However, he reminded that Singaporeans are ultimately Singaporeans, have their history and culture, and Singaporeans have their own views and political positions on current affairs.
Lee Hsien Loong said that Singapore, as a country with a lot of Chinese, sometimes puts the country in a difficult position because its speeches and actions are easily misunderstood, especially when there is a contradiction between China and the United States, such as Singapore’s support for China, the United States or other countries. It is believed that Singapore is a country with a predominantly Chinese population, so it will be responsive to China, but if it supports the United States, China may also misunderstand.
Lee Hsien Loong said that Singapore must act in accordance with the principles and not be affected by emotions under any circumstances. “When we can agree with one of the major powers, we will do so. If we cannot do this, we must maintain and explain our position.”
