Given Singapore s deep friendships with both the United States and China, it is inevitable that the Republic will feel the tug of great power competition from time to time, said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan yesterday. It is normal for two superpowers to try to influence others into their way of thinking, he told Parliament. But I want to stress that it is normal - in fact, it is imperative - for Singapore, or for any other countries for that matter, to want to be able to choose for ourselves, instead of being forced into making decisions by other people.
In navigating the two superpowers, Singapore must continue to maintain a consistent and principled foreign policy, said Dr Balakrishnan, adding that, put simply, this would be about saying the same thing to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that he would to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
SINGAPORE - Given Singapore s deep friendships with both the United States and China, it is inevitable that the Republic will feel the tug of great power competition from time to time, said Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday (March 1).
He noted: It is normal for two superpowers to try to influence others into their way of thinking. But I want to stress that it is normal - in fact, it is imperative - for Singapore, or for any other countries for that matter, to want to be able to choose for ourselves, instead of being forced into making decisions by other people.
Paradise Found?
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By Pallabi Munsi and Nick Fouriezos
It’s an epic sort of poetry, one of longing, temptation, needs met and dreams deferred. No, we’re not talking about Milton. This is the modern race to find, and define, the paradises of tomorrow. If that seems melodramatic, perhaps you haven’t been awake this past year, when the way the world is designed became more crucial than ever. Join this trip into the near future, of giant jellyfish and oxygenating parking garages, of mass surveillance but also improved safety, of cities on stilts or maybe even in the clouds.