Opinion | Singapore's back on stage but the US Asia-Pacific policy is a hard sell
By Augustus K. Yeung
INTRODUCTION
Singapore, once a city state out of nowhere, is now playing a leading role in ASEAN, a bloc which used to be under British administration and US influence.
Three of the ASEAN counties, notably Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore are now mature to consolidate and lead the bloc by balancing the world's two super economic powers, China and the United States, in the Asia-Pacific region.
For example, Singapore's businesspeople, government officials and social commentators are objectively critical of the presence of the United States. "Frankly, Southeast Asia keeps sometimes being loved and sometimes discarded and so that's a problem", remarked Kishore Mahbubani, the director of Lee Kuan School.
Singapore's Director of Tourism Board: "Singapore is Back in Business…"
Singapore sent a clear message of its reopening after a two-year pandemic hiatus as some 1,200 guests, including government officials and top executives from more than 25 nations, gathered in the city state yesterday for the Milken Institute Asian Summit.
Officials speaking at the three-day event include Malaysian Finance Minister and Singapore Senior Minister. Hollywood stars Henry Golding and Sima Taparia, who starred in the Netflix bit series Indian Matchmaking, and Korean-American singer Eric Nam also made an appearance.
The summit, which aims to tackle global issues such as climate change, diversity and economic inequalities, is part of a string of high-profile events culminating with the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday.
Organizers are confident turnout will match the 268,000 in 2019, the largest since the inaugural night race in 2008 at 300,000.
The week began with the Forbes Global CEO Conference, which included speakers such as Asia's richest man Gautam Adani and Indonesian minister for state-owned enterprises Erick Thohir.
Token2049, a two-day crypto-currency event that started on Wednesday, was also expected to draw thousands of entrepreneurs, investors and enthusiasts.
Hours before the start of the race on Sunday, former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt and other executives will attend the inaugural Time100 Leadership Forum at the National Gallery.
According to the Singapore Tourism Board, close to 90,000 delegates are expected to attend about 25 MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) events held around the same time as the F1 race.
Ong Ling Lee, the board's executive director, said it "signals to the world that Singapore is back in business and that our ability to stage world-class, high-quality events remains undimmed".
The city state, which last year announced plans to treat Covid-19 as endemic and in April lifted most curbs, has emerged strongly as a key destination for large-scale events and exhibitions in Asia.
Washington's Foreign Policy in the Indo-Pacific was Discussed in a Separate Panel Dialogue
Some organizers have in recent months turned to Singapore from rival Hong Kong, which only recently scrapped its strict hotel quarantine scheme.
Sharpening geopolitical contestation in the world and uncertainties in the post-pandemic era were in focus yesterday at the Milken Institute Asia Summit.
US ambassador to China Nicholas Burns stressed that Washington remained consistent on its stance on Taiwan. Beijing's "overreaction" to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island could disrupt peace in the region, Burns said, via video call.
Despite rising tensions between the two powers, he said Washington had no intentions of decoupling from Beijing even though there were efforts in place to ensure "Chinese investments in the US do not cause problems for our national security".
Washington's foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific was discussed in a separate panel dialogue. While the Biden administration had significantly increased its engagement with the region, Paul Haenle, visiting senior research fellow at the East Asian Institute, said one challenge would be to show a long-term strategy for the region.
Kishore Mahbubani, a veteran Singapore diplomat, said Washington's policy needs to be one that "will stay, that will carry on regardless of personalities".
A major roadblock stemmed from domestic politics like partisan splits and changes in administration, he said. "Frankly, Southeast Asia keep sometimes being loved and sometimes discarded and so that's a problem."
Mahbubani said the re-election of Donald Trump as president could disrupt Washington's engagement with the region and was a cause for concern for countries in Southeast Asia.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly reiterated his government's commitment to its so-called Indo-Pacific tilt. Cleverly said Britain's development financing body planned to spend HK4.3 billion in the region over the next five years.
In his keynote speech, Cleverly took aim at Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, but also criticized China. "The lessons I take from watching China across my lifetime is that when China departs from global rules and when it aligns itself with aggressive countries, like Russia, its standing in the world suffers," he said. (Source: SCMP)
CONCLUSION
This article started with a bang, awakening the world with Singapore's daring first shot amid the long Covid-19's enduring disruptions, making the guest attendants appalled that the city state's founding father may have passed away, but the Lee Kuan Yew spirit still shines!
In contrast, Washington's leadership in Southeast Asia is in serious doubt; and the rivalry between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the former US president is continuing to polarize the nation, and the Democrats seriously worrying about Trump's re-election attempt in 2024.
Meanwhile, Britain's new Foreign Secretary has continued to toe Johnson's policy, following whatever the US says.
James Cleverly whose off-hand remark on China shows that he is putting the cart before the horse: Britain's future is a concern as this third-class politician is politicking, misleading his people and degrading the country – rather than building strong trade ties with China after Brexit.
Britain was traditionally well-known for pioneering foreign trades in the Far East, and two weeks ago China was engaging New Zealand, Japan and ASEAN countries such as Malaysia in Guangxi, China, where they were building a conducive business environment for the Asia-Pacific region to become more resilient against future challenges.
The author is a freelance writer; formerly Adjunct Lecturer, taught MBA Philosophy of Management, and International Strategy, and online columnist of 3-D Corner (HKU SPACE), University of Hong Kong.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
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