Singapore’s Lee Urges China, U.S. to Stem Deteriorating Ties
By: Philip J. Heijmans
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Singapore’s Lee Urges China, U.S. to Stem Deteriorating Ties
(Bloomberg) -- Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong again warned the U.S. and China to deescalate tensions, saying both powers presumed incorrectly they would win in any conflict.
“The reality is, neither side can put the other one down,” Lee said on Tuesday, speaking by video link to the Aspen Security Forum. “I think that is a possible misunderstanding on both sides.”
The U.S. is not in terminal decline, as some in Beijing believe, Lee said. Equally, “China is not going to disappear. This is not the Soviet Union.”
“I don’t know whether Americans realize what a formidable adversary they would be taking on if they decide that China is an enemy.”
© Bloomberg Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Speaks To The Economic Club Of Washington
Over the years, Lee has been vocal in calling for the world’s biggest economies to avoid a destructive clash that could force smaller countries like Singapore -- with its open, trade-reliant economy -- to choose sides. After the election of President Joe Biden last year, he said the U.S. should form an “overall constructive relationship ” with China under a framework that would allow the countries to develop areas of common interest and “constrain the areas of disagreement.”
Lee told the forum that views had hardened in both the U.S. and China, and that the Biden administration was also constrained as a result, even as it brought a more “reliable and predictable” approach to foreign policy than the presidency of Donald Trump.
“I think it will be hard to reverse the present trend toward more troubled relations but many countries still hope that the deterioration in the relationship can be checked,” Lee said.
“Many U.S. friends and allies wish to preserve their extensive ties with both powers. No good outcome can arise from a conflict. It’s vital for the U.S. and China to strive to engage each other to head off a clash which would be disastrous for both sides and the world.”
Lee said the U.S. under Biden wanted competition with China, but for that competition to be fair. “It is a very fine line between that to treating a competitor as the opponent or the adversary.”
At the least, it means greater bifurcation on things like technology, he said. That’s as the U.S. continues to press other countries to keep Huawei Technologies Co. out of their 5-G telecommunication networks.
The remarks come as the Biden administration seeks to bolster its presence in Asia. Last month, the White House’s top official for the region said the U.S.’s position in Asia had “slipped,” losing ground to China as the two nations disagree on everything from the South China Sea to technology and human rights.
The U.S. has donated millions of Covid vaccine shots to countries across Southeast Asia amid a surge in virus cases and last week sent Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines to reassure leaders of its commitment to engagement in the region. He also vowed to challenge what he called China’s aggression. The U.S. plans to follow up with a visit from Vice President Kamala Harris to the region later this month.
Lee told the forum that U.S. allies were now feeling a “palpable sense of relief” and looking for long-term foreign policy consistency. “They hope for a reliable and predictable U.S. which will provide a stable anchor for the international order.”
On Taiwan, Lee said he didn’t believe China would make a unilateral strike against the island, but warned the situation could “quite easily” become dangerous due to a miscalculation.
“I think that they are going to constrain Taiwan’s international space as much as they can, but I do not think that they will make a unilateral, unprovoked move,” he said. “It’s high risk and even if it works the victory would be Pyrrhic because what to do with 20 something million people on an island who are not willing citizens.”
Beijing views Taiwan as its territory, even though it has never controlled the island. Taiwan’s democratically elected government rejects the claim, asserting it’s a de facto separate country awaiting wider international recognition.
China has repeatedly warned the U.S. to stay out of Taiwan affairs, even as the Biden administration criticizes its increased military assertiveness in the Taiwan Strait. Japan, for years cautious about causing friction with China, its biggest trading partner, has also recently become more vocal in public expressions of concern about pressure from Beijing on Taiwan.
© Bloomberg Crowded Airspace
“For the Chinese, Taiwan is the mother of all core interests,” Lee said. “It is the most important national subject for them and Taiwan independence is an absolute bright red line.”
(Updates with details on Taiwan in final paragraphs)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
.
BUZZ NOTE: Comments are subject to the Confucius group RED RULES, which may be accessed by clicking on the Confucius group avatar at the top right of this page.
Tags
Who is online
74 visitors
IMO he makes a lot of sense. I'm sure America and Americans would be a lot better off if it would stop using the "Tonya Harding" method to force others to comply with what it wants in order to benefit its own interests.
I'm not sure China wants to take on India either but we both know which side the USA and Nato will choose.
China may be a bull elephant, but the plains are full of danger...
for everyone.
The South China territorial grab is lawless.
Now Germany and Great Britain are sending ships.
There is definitely a dispute over the sovereignty of the South China Sea. There are maps and arguments both ways. China says ancient Persian maps show it owns the sea, and others argue there are 60 ancient maps that dispute China's claim.
I have no idea who is right, but in the meantime, who intends to push China off those islands?
They can probably keep the islands but not the open waters, no way.
I don't think there's an intention to prevent commercial traffic through the sea, but I'm pretty sure they are not going to want other countries to stop them from drilling and fishing.
Although there are some who like to believe they own planet Earth and everything in and on it, NO ONE owns the seas/oceans, nor does anyone own the planet. They didn't create the Earth, nor any of the open seas/oceans.
Fact...not fiction.
Nobody owns the oceans/seas Raven, and I didn't say that China owned the South China Sea. In fact, the seed makes no reference to the South China Sea. SP brought up the subject and I described the issue. According to International Laws, countries do have territorial rights adjacent to their coastlines, and I think I indicated that I didn't know if China was right or wrong in the claims that they were making.
It's almost 10 pm here and I'm turning off my computer for the night. I'm a little concerned that this seed might attract some nasty comments that I'll not be available to moderate so I'm going to lock it and reopen it in about 9 hours or so.
As promised, now unlocked for civil comments.
Guess his opinion is a little too sensible for most.