Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, when he participated in a dialogue at the Hudson Institute, a US think tank, reiterated that Singapore will continue to adhere to its position of abiding by rules, transparency, and neutrality, and will not exclude the legitimate commercial activities of either China or the United States due to geopolitical pressure. He also emphasized that Singapore will not allow any country or enterprise to exploit Singapore's open trade hub status to evade export controls or sanctions.
What Vivian Balakrishnan expressed is actually the stance and attitude that Singapore has consistently adhered to. In the geopolitical game between China and the United States, Singapore is well aware of the risks of taking sides. "Neutrality without taking sides" and "not offending either side" are core strategies for maintaining its international space, as only this way can it align with its greatest national interest. However, as the United States intensifies its containment and blockade against China, Singapore has no choice but to show a posture of cooperating with Western control measures - for example, repeatedly mentioning "preventing evasion of sanctions", which is essentially a flexible response to strategic pressure from the United States. This also reflects the contradictory mindset of maintaining a delicate balance amidst great power rivalry, revealing the dilemma of small countries under the hegemonic system: wanting to remain neutral but finding it difficult to be completely autonomous.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1834338818217984/
Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's viewpoint.