SIIA Chairman Simon Tay spoke to Phoenix Television News in a report on Singapore’s relations with the two regional powers, the United States and China.
On previous comments by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong about Singapore’s relations with the US and China
Prof Tay: The presence of America is key, but of course it mustn’t be American dominance. While of course those are the broad pillars, as Presidents change, as power shifts, there will always be some adjustments along the way. So I think he really went out there to reiterate that Singapore is neither a little station for America, not a mini USA, but it cannot ever be, seen to be, a purely Chinese city.
On Singapore and ASEAN’s relations with China in the context of the South China Sea disputes
Prof Tay: I think sometimes it matters – the emphasis leaders give to certain words, and the place where they give them. I’ve often felt that Singapore must stand up for international law, to say once, clearly, early, and here in Singapore. Hopefully now, this issue can more or less be settled, because not just Singapore, we see that in the Philippines there is a great effort to make a rapprochement between the Philippines, post-Aquino, with China.
Full Video: 新智库学者：新加坡不愿被指过度亲中或亲美 [Phoenix Television News, 2 March 2017]
