QUIET DIPLOMACY
Education is another area where Singapore can play a role. The number of student visas granted to Chinese nationals in the US has dropped 50 per cent between 2019 and 2022. Singapore is well-placed to offer an alternative.
An English-speaking environment, safety from racist violence and the opportunity to obtain an education bridging East and West are advantages that can be exploited. Welcoming students from both mainland China and Taiwan could foster deeper ties and mutual understanding. The ties they form will hopefully contribute towards settling the legacy of the Chinese Civil War.
China-Taiwan relations are a family issue. Only the Chinese people can craft a settlement.
Singapore provides a neutral venue for meetings of officials and politicians on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, for instance the meeting between Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou and China’s President Xi Jinping on Nov 7, 2015. If there is to be rapprochement between Beijing and Taipei, Singapore would be the place to start quiet diplomacy.
Most countries do not want to be forced to take sides in the current US-China confrontation. In the latest State of Southeast Asia survey conducted by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, 31.4 per cent of Singapore respondents said ASEAN should not side with China or the US. Meanwhile, 46.7 per cent chose the option of enhancing ASEAN unity to fend off pressure from the two major powers.
Being neutral does not mean being mute. A neutral, nuanced voice is vital in an increasingly strident shouting match.
Singaporean business people and students may be viewed with suspicion on account of fancied racial ties with China. Trade and political relations may suffer because of the prejudice of uninformed politicians. Friendship does not confer immunity from being targeted.
For the mousedeer in the middle of the fight between the elephants, a canny appreciation of the situation is essential in order to avoid being trampled, deliberately or otherwise. National unity and resilience are the keystones of national survival.
To borrow a phrase from an earlier era, Singaporeans must keep calm and carry on providing that neutral nuanced perspective.
Professor Walter Woon was Singapore’s Ambassador to Germany, the European Union, Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece and the Vatican between 1998 and 2006. He is currently Lee Kong Chian Visiting Professor of Law, Yong Pung How School of Law, Singapore Management University, Senior Consultant and Non-Executive Chairman of RHTLaw Asia and Chairman of the Society for International Law Singapore.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/us-china-tariffs-trade-war-conflict-singapore-middle-neutral-5062626
