S’pore-Beijing relations go beyond S China Sea: PM

SINGAPORE — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday that Singapore’s relationship with China is much broader than the South China Sea issue, as ties between both countries have been buttressed over the past few decades by several flagship developmental projects such as the Suzhou Industrial Park, Tianjin Eco-city and now the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative — the third government-to-government project to support China’s Western Region Development strategy.

“We engage with many different provinces and cities. We are pursuing opportunities in infrastructure, connectivity, financial services, urban planning and clean technology,” said Mr Lee at the National Day Rally last night. He added that Singapore is also working with Beijing on its One Belt, One Road initiative as well as the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

“We will have many more opportunities to strengthen our friendship and cooperation with each other.”

In his speech, Mr Lee had noted that one issue that may upset the peace and stability in the region is the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, which he described as a “complicated issue”.

China claims a large swathe of the South China Sea. Four countries from the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) — Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines — as well as Taiwan also have claims to the strategic waterway, through which US$5 trillion (S$6.8 trillion) in shipborne trade passes every year.

Singapore is the country coordinator for Asean-China Dialogue Relations and this puts the Republic in a “slightly warm” seat, said Mr Lee.

“Each party wants us to side a bit more with them. We are doing our best to be an honest broker, dealing straight with all parties.”

He noted that the media in China has carried articles criticising Singapore for not siding more with China.

“I know some Singaporeans are concerned about these criticisms because they have foreign friends — PRC (People’s Republic of China) friends, business partners, academic colleagues, personal contacts ... They may tell you that any tension between Singapore and China will affect your business and collaboration,” he said, adding that he understood these concerns.

“We would like business and collaboration to continue to flourish between Singapore and China ... because these are arrangements which benefit both sides. If they are disrupted, both sides lose,” he said.

“But the Government has to take a national point of view, decide what is in Singapore’s overall interests. We want good relations with other countries if it is at all possible. But we must be prepared for ups and downs from time to time.”

Mr Lee added Singapore has to uphold its reputation as a country that takes an independent, carefully thought-out stand. “We cooperate with other countries, but we make our own calculations,” he said, adding that it is what makes Singapore “credible, consistent, reliable and valuable” to fellow Asean members and to the United States, China and Europe.

“It has taken us a long time to build up this reputation, and we have to be very careful to maintain it.”

Dr Daniel Chua, an assistant professor at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told TODAY last night that Singapore-China ties will continue to improve despite the occasional ups and downs.

“The relationship is mutually beneficial. Things (bilateral projects) have been going on and they are substantial,” he said. “There may be disagreements, but if you look at the overall picture, it is an upward trend.”

He added that Singapore should not feel that it is in the hot seat for too long, as the Republic has shown consistency as the coordinator of Asean-China dialogue relations.