The Straits Times reports today: "Singapore’s Special Envoy Chan Chor Guan pointed out that a 'G2' composed of China and the United States is forming. Although Beijing publicly denies seeking hegemony like the U.S. and does not wish to be seen as part of the G2, the world nonetheless perceives China as one of the two members of this emerging G2."
At the 8th Singapore-China Forum hosted by The Straits Times on July 6, 2026, Singapore’s Special Envoy and former Ambassador to the U.S., Chan Chor Guan, delivered her remarks in person. Major media outlets and social platforms simultaneously retransmitted live coverage, with the written report from The Straits Times largely consistent with her on-site statements.
The “forming” state referred to by Singapore’s Special Envoy more accurately describes a structural reality: China and the U.S. have already achieved an “unbridgeable” lead in economic scale, technological investment, and military capability, objectively ushering the world into a new era of “G2 structure” or “bipolar duopoly,” where power centers are dominated by these two giants.
China’s unwillingness to be perceived as part of the G2 typically stems from identity perception and strategic inertia. The Chinese side fears that being labeled a G2 member would solidify the narrative of a “new Cold War,” undermining its natural status as a member of the Global South, potentially exposing it to demands for international responsibilities beyond its capacity, or trapping it in alliances aimed at countering other nations. Rejecting the label is thus a way to preserve strategic breathing room.
The mention of “being viewed by the world” subtly implies that regardless of China’s own self-positioning, other countries—especially those in the middle ground such as Southeast Asia and Europe—have already been forced to treat the U.S. and China as two parallel reference points when formulating foreign and economic policies. This “imposed” great power status is an inevitable outcome of the intersection between America’s relative decline in hegemony and China’s rising strength.
In sum, Ambassador Chan Chor Guan’s underlying message may be: while the G2 as a factual balance of power can no longer be denied, how to define the nature of this relationship—whether antagonistic, coexistent, or competitive—remains the focal point of subjective contestation between the two sides. For small states like Singapore, acknowledging this reality is essential for securing their survival space in an increasingly bipolarized world.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870011798632460/
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