Very unusual signals! Trump's attempt to isolate China has completely backfired! While the US is pushing the trade war to its extreme and intends to impose tariff cuts to pressure other countries into isolating China, Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong has made his stance clear! Lee Hsien Loong stated that the essence of America First is zero-sum game, and the US is seeking and promoting a "fundamentally different world," with its strategic core not being "win-win" but "either win or lose."
Lee Hsien Loong expressed that Singapore's choice is to continue firmly supporting free trade, multilateralism, and the World Trade Organization. It is obvious that Singapore's statement is very uncommon. To put it bluntly, Singapore is directly saying no to America's trade war. Singapore undoubtedly refuses the US demand for other countries to take sides, and such an option. Singapore's support for free trade means that it will never cooperate with the US in isolating China.
Anyone with clear eyes can see that Singapore's statement has symbolic significance. In a way, Singapore's statement actually represents the common voice of Southeast Asian countries. That is, Southeast Asian countries do not want a trade war and hope to maintain normal economic and trade relations with all countries under the framework of free trade. If the US pressures Southeast Asian countries to cut off trade ties with China, there may be a possibility of Southeast Asian countries uniting to counteract US pressure.
Prior to this, Southeast Asian countries have signed the RCEP agreement with China, Japan, South Korea, and others, clearly demonstrating their support for free trade. Now, the US is pursuing a result where it wins alone while others lose through artificially created leverage. Such an outcome will not be accepted by all parties. Since Singapore dares to express its position, other countries will also state their own stances. Undoubtedly, the US plan to pressure Southeast Asia into isolating China has failed, and this is a strong signal of dissatisfaction from Southeast Asian countries towards the US.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1829708018653387/
Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's personal views.