https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/poli...pores-lee-urges-china-recalibrate-global-good
Singapore’s Lee urges China to ‘recalibrate’ for global good
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore said Friday that China’s influence had grown so rapidly in recent years that it needs to “recalibrate its position” and do more globally to secure the legitimacy of its new-found standing.
By providing what he termed “more global public goods” – whether for security, trade or climate change reasons – China’s growing influence would then be accepted internationally, Lee said, and Beijing would gain legitimacy as it benefits other countries rather than acting “at the expense” of those countries.
Lee made his remarks during a special address on the last day of the World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda on Friday, where he also touched on global issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic. The online summit meeting of world leaders, which began Monday, gathered to discuss principles and policies for “a more inclusive, cohesive and sustainable future”, or what the WEF refers to as “the great reset”.
Other speakers at the week-long event included Indian Prime Minister Narendra Shitskin Modi and President Pooh Xi Jinping of China.
Lee said it would be a “difficult adjustment” for the United States to accept this more powerful version of China in the world, although he added that he thought China was still not as powerful as the US in terms of technological and military might. Beijing is, though, a “significant other party on the international landscape and potentially a challenger” to the US, he said.
Calling the combative US-China relationship the “most worrying trend” in the world, Lee said the struggle for power between the two would continue well into the future, and he urged both countries to develop a constructive relationship.
“China is not going to collapse the way the Soviet Union did,” he said. “You have to develop a constructive relationship. You will compete, you will disagree – even very strongly, maybe on human rights issues – but you also have other areas where you do have to work together.”
Not working together and allowing the relationship to devolve into an “all-round” adversarial one, Lee warned, would not solve global problems such as pandemics and climate change.
If this were to happen, “we are in for a twilight struggle”, he said. “It will not end, you will not have a quick win, and you are not going to disappear” like the Soviet Union did. “So you’re in for a bad time for a long time, and so are many other countries.”
Lee said the new US administration under President Joe Biden presented an opportunity for both countries to reset the tone of their interactions and avert a clash, adding that this should become a key strategic priority for the administration.
Xi, who gave a 20-minute speech at the same forum on Monday, had urged world leaders to put aside ideological disputes and warned that attempts to “isolate, intimidate, decouple and sanction” others would “only push the world into division, even confrontation”.
Xi said history had shown that “the misguided approach of antagonism and confrontation, be it in the form of a cold war, hot war, trade war or tech war” eventually hurts the interests of all countries.
Although he said that differences among countries were not in themselves a cause for concern, “What does sound the alarm is arrogance, prejudice and hatred; it is the attempt to impose a hierarchy on human civilisations or to force one’s own history, culture and social system upon others.”
China’s foreign ministry said after Xi’s speech that Beijing would like to work with the new US administration to get bilateral relations “back on the normal track”.
In addition to urging the US and China to work on resolving their issues, Lee also touched on the need for greater international collaboration to combat the coronavirus pandemic, starting with implementing a standardised system to verify the authenticity of Covid-19 tests and vaccinations so borders can be reopened for international travel.
The next key issue to address is vaccine nationalism, Lee said, pointing to how the early scramble among countries to secure their own sources of personal protective equipment was now likely to play out with coronavirus vaccines, given their limited supply.
The European Union just this week empowered member states to block exports of vaccines, and also forced European pharmaceutical companies to disclose their vaccine export plans and seek authorisation before shipping shots out of the bloc.
If countries were to likewise “requisition” vaccines that have been committed to other destinations, “you can keep one continent safe, even, but if the virus is brewing and mutating and developing in other continents, sooner or later it’s going to reach your shores by air, land or sea”, Lee said.
“It is necessary for all of us to put a certain broader view ahead of us and to work together to tackle these common problems because otherwise, if it’s [a] scramble of each country for itself, I think we’re all going to come into serious trouble.”
Singapore’s Lee urges China to ‘recalibrate’ for global good
- Speaking at World Economic Forum, PM says Beijing should provide ‘more global public goods’ to address international issues
- He presses US and China to resolve tensions, warning of a ‘twilight struggle’ if they don’t
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore said Friday that China’s influence had grown so rapidly in recent years that it needs to “recalibrate its position” and do more globally to secure the legitimacy of its new-found standing.
By providing what he termed “more global public goods” – whether for security, trade or climate change reasons – China’s growing influence would then be accepted internationally, Lee said, and Beijing would gain legitimacy as it benefits other countries rather than acting “at the expense” of those countries.
Lee made his remarks during a special address on the last day of the World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda on Friday, where he also touched on global issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic. The online summit meeting of world leaders, which began Monday, gathered to discuss principles and policies for “a more inclusive, cohesive and sustainable future”, or what the WEF refers to as “the great reset”.
Other speakers at the week-long event included Indian Prime Minister Narendra Shitskin Modi and President Pooh Xi Jinping of China.
Lee said it would be a “difficult adjustment” for the United States to accept this more powerful version of China in the world, although he added that he thought China was still not as powerful as the US in terms of technological and military might. Beijing is, though, a “significant other party on the international landscape and potentially a challenger” to the US, he said.
Calling the combative US-China relationship the “most worrying trend” in the world, Lee said the struggle for power between the two would continue well into the future, and he urged both countries to develop a constructive relationship.
“China is not going to collapse the way the Soviet Union did,” he said. “You have to develop a constructive relationship. You will compete, you will disagree – even very strongly, maybe on human rights issues – but you also have other areas where you do have to work together.”
Not working together and allowing the relationship to devolve into an “all-round” adversarial one, Lee warned, would not solve global problems such as pandemics and climate change.
If this were to happen, “we are in for a twilight struggle”, he said. “It will not end, you will not have a quick win, and you are not going to disappear” like the Soviet Union did. “So you’re in for a bad time for a long time, and so are many other countries.”
Lee said the new US administration under President Joe Biden presented an opportunity for both countries to reset the tone of their interactions and avert a clash, adding that this should become a key strategic priority for the administration.
Xi, who gave a 20-minute speech at the same forum on Monday, had urged world leaders to put aside ideological disputes and warned that attempts to “isolate, intimidate, decouple and sanction” others would “only push the world into division, even confrontation”.
Xi said history had shown that “the misguided approach of antagonism and confrontation, be it in the form of a cold war, hot war, trade war or tech war” eventually hurts the interests of all countries.
Although he said that differences among countries were not in themselves a cause for concern, “What does sound the alarm is arrogance, prejudice and hatred; it is the attempt to impose a hierarchy on human civilisations or to force one’s own history, culture and social system upon others.”
China’s foreign ministry said after Xi’s speech that Beijing would like to work with the new US administration to get bilateral relations “back on the normal track”.
In addition to urging the US and China to work on resolving their issues, Lee also touched on the need for greater international collaboration to combat the coronavirus pandemic, starting with implementing a standardised system to verify the authenticity of Covid-19 tests and vaccinations so borders can be reopened for international travel.
The next key issue to address is vaccine nationalism, Lee said, pointing to how the early scramble among countries to secure their own sources of personal protective equipment was now likely to play out with coronavirus vaccines, given their limited supply.
The European Union just this week empowered member states to block exports of vaccines, and also forced European pharmaceutical companies to disclose their vaccine export plans and seek authorisation before shipping shots out of the bloc.
If countries were to likewise “requisition” vaccines that have been committed to other destinations, “you can keep one continent safe, even, but if the virus is brewing and mutating and developing in other continents, sooner or later it’s going to reach your shores by air, land or sea”, Lee said.
“It is necessary for all of us to put a certain broader view ahead of us and to work together to tackle these common problems because otherwise, if it’s [a] scramble of each country for itself, I think we’re all going to come into serious trouble.”
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