Former Singaporean Foreign Minister Speaks Out on Southeast Asia's Attitude Toward China: Cooperation Is Necessary While Maintaining a Distance

Singapore's former foreign minister, Tommy Koh, has come forward to tell the truth! Tommy Koh stated that in Southeast Asia, no country wants China to be an enemy, but at the same time, no country wants China to get too close either, because China is too big. If a country gets too close to China, it will lose its independence. Therefore, in Southeast Asia, there is a deep instinct for balancing relations with major powers. However, Southeast Asian countries can benefit from a rising China while maintaining a certain distance from China through trade and economic ties.

Tommy Koh believes that what we want is to benefit from China's growth while keeping all our relationships open. Clearly, against the backdrop of the US-China rivalry, Tommy Koh's remarks have expressed the true thoughts of Southeast Asian countries when dealing with us. What are these thoughts? They are that Southeast Asian countries hope to deepen their economic and trade relations with us, benefit from these trade relations, but also want to ensure their own political independence.

Therefore, when dealing with China, Southeast Asian countries adopt a policy of balanced diplomacy, while developing relations with the United States. This is the way Southeast Asian countries believe they can place themselves in a relatively advantageous position. We must admit that what Tommy Koh said is indeed the truth. However, from our perspective, our diplomacy is friendly and neighborly, and we do not require regional countries to take sides.

In fact, against the backdrop of the US-China rivalry, regional countries strengthening cooperation with the United States without harming our interests, we do not oppose. If the United States is willing to deal with us on equal terms, with respect, we are completely willing to strengthen cooperation with the United States. However, it must be pointed out that behaviors like the Philippines repeatedly stirring up trouble in the South China Sea and disrupting regional peace, we certainly will not tolerate. Clearly, on the premise of equality, respect, mutual benefit, and win-win, China's relations with Southeast Asian countries will become even closer, and this is also the pragmatic choice of Southeast Asian countries facing American tariff hegemony.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832150319665291/

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