Singapore’s perspective on US-China relationship and the issue of Taiwan

Transcript from Singapore Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong’s speech in Parliament

The second big issue is US-China relations. There is deep mutual suspicion and fundamental mistrust between the two countries. In America, the prevailing view is that their efforts to work out a cooperative relationship with China have failed and China’s growing strength and assertiveness is becoming a grave threat to US interests and values. Therefore, the US must go for extreme competition and maintain as large a lead as possible over China in foundational technologies such as semiconductor chips, quantum technology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and green technologies, all the things that count. Negative perceptions are prevalent amongst the population too. The latest Pew survey found that over 80% of adults in the US have an unfavorable view of China, and nearly 40% describe China as an enemy of the US rather than as a competitor or partner.

Chinese public perception of the US has similarly deteriorated. China’s leaders have become convinced that the US is seeking to contain, circle, and suppress China. They believe that Washington wants to hold back China’s growth and weaken the Communist Party of China’s hold on power. They consider issues like Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet to be China’s domestic matters, vitally affecting its security and integrity on which they see no room for discussion or compromise. But the most dangerous flashpoint of all is Taiwan.

Singapore is good friends with China, and we are also old friends of Taiwan. Singapore rigorously upholds our One China policy and continues to support the peaceful development of cross-strait relations. China considers Taiwan as the most important issue, and the One China principle to be the reddest of its red lines. But in the Western alternative narrative, the problem in cross-strait relations is a broader ideological issue of democracy versus autocracy. This is even though most countries, including most Western countries, have officially adopted One China policies. This difference of views is very worrying.

Right now, tensions over Taiwan are high. All sides continue to make moves responding to one another. After Dr. Tsai Ing-wen met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during her recent stopover in the US, China launched three days of extensive military exercises all around Taiwan. A CCTV report described them as comprehensive and precise simulated attacks on the key targets in the island and surrounding waters. The risks of a miscalculation or mishap are growing. China relations will not improve anytime soon, even if the two powers avoid a direct conflict, which neither side wishes to see. Enduring enmity and bad relations between them will be very costly for both and will mean big trouble for the rest of the world. It’s a very worrying outlook, but we still hope that relations between the US and China do not get worse, and that both sides can keep lines of communication open and, with time, gradually repair their relationship on the basis of mutual trust and respect.