Singapore must learn to accept China's inevitable rise
- Source: Global Times
- [23:20 November 09 2009]
- Comments
As China becomes more powerful, Singapore has begun to worry about the threats. In 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, then Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister, visited Taiwan, which upset bilateral relations Today, Singapore's hope to have the West balance China's strength is undoubtedly contrary to its successful past experience.
As such, it is difficult for Singapore to keep its strategic position in China as solid as in the past.
The financial crisis that erupted in the US last year accelerated the process of its decline. The rise of new powers and the reorganization of the international situation is an inevitable trend, as is that China will be the dominant power in Asia. Lee Kuan Yew said that "ASEAN lacks strategic weight."
Therefore the establishment of a ASEAN-China free trade area will be able to increase the strategic weight of ASEAN. If the US were in Asia, if the US could open its markets to ASEAN as widely as China did, there would be no problem; unfortunately, these are only hypothetical.
Clearly, Singapore is also aware of China's importance in enhancing its strategic importance. Therefore, without China, how can Singapore have its strategic position? In fact, Lee Kuan Yew himself has also said that "small countries have little influence on international trends."
As Lee said, "Singapore has always taken the world as it is. We analyze the world clinically, take advantage of opportunities that come our way or get out of harm's way." Singapore must be clear: The current status is the unstoppable revival and strengthening of China and China's position in East Asia must be increasingly important. In order to avoid being marginalized, small countries should find their new roles in peaceful regional communication. They can be communicators rather than stirring up trouble or rivalries between big powers.
The future of East and Southeast Asia depends largely on China. Without China, it is impossible for small countries to have "opportunities that come our way."
The author is a Phoenix TV commentator
