SG in ménage à trois with US and China for next 30 years

[LITTLEREDDOT]

S’pore has never stayed neutral and does take positions on trade with US and China: Gan Kim Yong​

UBS Global Wealth Management Asia Pacific co-head Young Jin Yee in dialogue with Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong at the Wealth Edition of the UBS Asian Investment Conference.

May 22, 2025

SINGAPORE – Singapore has never stayed neutral and will always take a position on policies or international issues, said Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong at a conference on May 22.

Among the thorniest of those issues are the trade tensions between the US and China, but as contentious as the issue is, Singapore cannot stay permanently on the sidelines, he added.

“We do take positions. The only difference is that we take positions not because you are the US or because you are China,” he said, noting that Singapore will take a stance based on what is in its best interests, for the country and citizens.


DPM Gan, who is also the Trade and Industry Minister, added that Singapore values doing business with the US and with China, and both countries know its position.

However, it is becoming “increasingly difficult and challenging” to “find a way that will be comfortable for both sides”.


The May 12 deal – where the US and China agreed to suspend part of their tariffs on each other’s goods for 90 days – may provide a temporary reprieve, but questions remain over what happens when the truce ends.

But what is certain is that it is not going to be business as usual at the end of this tariff crisis.

“It is going to be a new world,” added DPM Gan, who was speaking with Ms Young Jin Yee, co-head of UBS Global Wealth Management Asia-Pacific, at the Wealth Edition of the UBS Asian Investment Conference at Capella Singapore.

What is this new world going to be like? How can Singapore continue to seize opportunities and grow the economy in this environment? These are just some questions that keep the minister awake at night.

DPM Gan said that even before “Liberation Day” on April 2, when US President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on foreign countries, negotiations at the World Trade Organisation had been challenging for many years.


Trade talks have been increasingly centred on domestic needs, and countries are becoming more protectionist, he said.


The Government formed the Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce

in April to help businesses and workers navigate the near-term challenges arising from the US tariffs and to position the country in the new economic landscape.


DPM Gan chairs the task force, which comprises four other ministers and representatives from the Singapore Business Federation, the National Trades Union Congress and the Singapore National Employers Federation.

He said the Government will focus on priorities, including investing in innovation and research and development to create new businesses, new products, new services and even new markets, as well as new business models.

Singapore must also continue to invest in its people, its most critical resource, he said. “Every industry, every business needs to continue to invest in developing our local talent, bringing in talent and building a team together.”


DPM Gan also noted that Singapore must stay nimble and be prepared to move fast, change fast and respond fast when the business environment changes.

He was also part of the multi-ministry task force formed during the Covid-19 pandemic, earning him the nickname “task force man”.

“We are quite fond of forming teams and task forces so that we are able to tackle issues collectively,” he said, noting that this approach is the most effective way to tap the range of local expertise given Singapore’s small size and limited resources.

“So if one day I call upon you to help me form a new task force to deal with challenges, please do not shy away,” DPM Gan added.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Shangri-La Dialogue 2025

China and US must keep talking to better understand each other: Chan Chun Sing​

Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing speaking at the close of the Shangri-La Dialogue on June 1.

Jun 01, 2025

SINGAPORE – Direct dialogue between the United States and China must continue as both sides would benefit from understanding each other’s perspectives more deeply despite their differences, said Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing.

Speaking at a media wrap-up on June 1 at the close of the Shangri-La Dialogue, he added that his private conversations with both delegations indicated that the superpowers do want to understand each other better, but that this would require frank dialogue.

“Even if they don’t agree with what the other party says, it is important for them to hear what each other says and, perhaps more importantly, to understand why each party says what they say,” said Mr Chan.


His comments followed two days of discussions at the annual security forum in Singapore, which brought together regional and global defence leaders at the Shangri-La Hotel.

The press conference, attended by local and foreign journalists, was dominated by questions about US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s speech at the forum’s opening plenary, as well as China’s lower-level representation at this year’s gathering.


On May 31, the Pentagon chief warned that the threat China posed to its neighbours in the Indo-Pacific was “real”, and called on Asian countries to raise their defence spending.

Mr Chan said he read Mr Hegseth’s speech “very carefully, more than once” and urged others to consider it in full rather than to focus only on certain parts.
While the speech did highlight concerns about China’s behaviour, he noted that it also contained a “quite significant” message of US intent.

Mr Hegseth said the US did not seek war, nor to dominate or strangle China. It also did not aim to encircle, provoke or seek regime change, nor will it instigate or disrespect a proud and historic culture, he added.


“Yes, he did talk about the China threat,” said Mr Chan. “But I think, and I may be wrong, it’s the first time something like that has been stated so clearly.

“So I leave it to the audience to put the weights on the different parts of the speech.”

Mr Chan stressed the importance of not looking at China or the US as monolithic powers, and that both societies have their domestic and external challenges.

Understanding their internal dynamics will help countries understand why leaders of both powers do what they do, he added.

This is why the two powers have to talk to one another directly, and is where the value of the Shangri-La Dialogue lies, said Mr Chan.

Replying to a question on how the US’ and China’s positions on issues such as Taiwan and the South China Sea are so far apart that the two powers just talk over each other, he added that that is precisely why genuine dialogue is needed.


Apart from the plenary discussions, the forum’s value is in allowing for small-group discussions with counterparts from around the world. Mr Chan noted that he had 13 such meetings on May 31, away from the main discussions.

“It’s useful to just go into a room, have a cup of coffee, meet one another and exchange notes,” he said. “And if Singapore can provide the coffee and the table and chairs, we will gladly do that.”

Conversely, it is not very useful in defence diplomacy to exchange notes through social media, especially if the intent is to achieve deeper understanding, he added.

On the absence of China’s defence minister at the forum, Mr Chan reiterated that each country has its own considerations as to who it sends, and there should not be an overemphasis on whether a certain personality attends or not.

For the first time since 2019, China’s defence minister did not attend the dialogue. In his place, the delegation was led by Rear-Admiral Hu Gangfeng, vice-president of the People’s Liberation Army National Defence University.


Mr Chan said he met the US and Chinese delegations, and that his message to both was the same: that military and economic security must reinforce each other, a perspective shared by many countries over the weekend.

Reflecting on his first Shangri-La Dialogue as Defence Minister, Mr Chan added that some of his counterparts asked how he had been able to conduct the forum just seven days into assuming the defence portfolio.

The event was clearly not put together in seven days, he said, but was the outcome of a year’s worth of work by an entire team that included Mindef, the Singapore Armed Forces and other agencies.

“That is the beauty of the Singapore system – that it goes beyond the dependence on a single personality,” he added.

A remark made during the ministerial roundtable discussions that resonated with him was the phrase “freedom is not free”.

This was a powerful reminder that freedom requires commitment – both across political cycles, and in investments into people and capabilities, he noted.

Besides budgetary resources, freedom also requires public support for defence, and rising to meet new troubles and challenges, he said.

“If we have the commitment to seek peace (and) to work on building those relationships and trust, then I’m more confident that we can overcome the challenges by finding solutions.”

 

[congo9]

Shangri-La Dialogue 2025

China and US must keep talking to better understand each other: Chan Chun Sing​

Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing speaking at the close of the Shangri-La Dialogue on June 1.

Jun 01, 2025

SINGAPORE – Direct dialogue between the United States and China must continue as both sides would benefit from understanding each other’s perspectives more deeply despite their differences, said Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing.

Speaking at a media wrap-up on June 1 at the close of the Shangri-La Dialogue, he added that his private conversations with both delegations indicated that the superpowers do want to understand each other better, but that this would require frank dialogue.

“Even if they don’t agree with what the other party says, it is important for them to hear what each other says and, perhaps more importantly, to understand why each party says what they say,” said Mr Chan.


His comments followed two days of discussions at the annual security forum in Singapore, which brought together regional and global defence leaders at the Shangri-La Hotel.

The press conference, attended by local and foreign journalists, was dominated by questions about US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s speech at the forum’s opening plenary, as well as China’s lower-level representation at this year’s gathering.


On May 31, the Pentagon chief warned that the threat China posed to its neighbours in the Indo-Pacific was “real”, and called on Asian countries to raise their defence spending.

Mr Chan said he read Mr Hegseth’s speech “very carefully, more than once” and urged others to consider it in full rather than to focus only on certain parts.
While the speech did highlight concerns about China’s behaviour, he noted that it also contained a “quite significant” message of US intent.

Mr Hegseth said the US did not seek war, nor to dominate or strangle China. It also did not aim to encircle, provoke or seek regime change, nor will it instigate or disrespect a proud and historic culture, he added.


“Yes, he did talk about the China threat,” said Mr Chan. “But I think, and I may be wrong, it’s the first time something like that has been stated so clearly.

“So I leave it to the audience to put the weights on the different parts of the speech.”

Mr Chan stressed the importance of not looking at China or the US as monolithic powers, and that both societies have their domestic and external challenges.

Understanding their internal dynamics will help countries understand why leaders of both powers do what they do, he added.

This is why the two powers have to talk to one another directly, and is where the value of the Shangri-La Dialogue lies, said Mr Chan.

Replying to a question on how the US’ and China’s positions on issues such as Taiwan and the South China Sea are so far apart that the two powers just talk over each other, he added that that is precisely why genuine dialogue is needed.


Apart from the plenary discussions, the forum’s value is in allowing for small-group discussions with counterparts from around the world. Mr Chan noted that he had 13 such meetings on May 31, away from the main discussions.

“It’s useful to just go into a room, have a cup of coffee, meet one another and exchange notes,” he said. “And if Singapore can provide the coffee and the table and chairs, we will gladly do that.”

Conversely, it is not very useful in defence diplomacy to exchange notes through social media, especially if the intent is to achieve deeper understanding, he added.

On the absence of China’s defence minister at the forum, Mr Chan reiterated that each country has its own considerations as to who it sends, and there should not be an overemphasis on whether a certain personality attends or not.

For the first time since 2019, China’s defence minister did not attend the dialogue. In his place, the delegation was led by Rear-Admiral Hu Gangfeng, vice-president of the People’s Liberation Army National Defence University.


Mr Chan said he met the US and Chinese delegations, and that his message to both was the same: that military and economic security must reinforce each other, a perspective shared by many countries over the weekend.

Reflecting on his first Shangri-La Dialogue as Defence Minister, Mr Chan added that some of his counterparts asked how he had been able to conduct the forum just seven days into assuming the defence portfolio.

The event was clearly not put together in seven days, he said, but was the outcome of a year’s worth of work by an entire team that included Mindef, the Singapore Armed Forces and other agencies.

“That is the beauty of the Singapore system – that it goes beyond the dependence on a single personality,” he added.

A remark made during the ministerial roundtable discussions that resonated with him was the phrase “freedom is not free”.

This was a powerful reminder that freedom requires commitment – both across political cycles, and in investments into people and capabilities, he noted.

Besides budgetary resources, freedom also requires public support for defence, and rising to meet new troubles and challenges, he said.

“If we have the commitment to seek peace (and) to work on building those relationships and trust, then I’m more confident that we can overcome the challenges by finding solutions.”

I think CCS knew The Chinese is a incorrigible.

Last time round, the US treated China as a trading partner. What did the US do ? US open the trade door to China. Allow China students to learn from the best in US. Also gave them access to technology.

But China has been viewing USA as a enemy look alike, they steal technology by dubious method. They duplicate technology from the West. Their aim is to overthrow and replace USA.

So back to that interview by ccs, CCS is just trying to be nice with the interview. 两面都是人。