Preface

Singapore’s new Prime Minister Wong Xuncai recently arrived in Beijing. This visit to China and Singapore will further deepen cooperation, especially in the digital economy, artificial intelligence and green development.

As a trade hub in Southeast Asia, Singapore relies on the United States in geopolitical terms and is very economically close to China. After the Sino-US trade war began, many people were waiting for Singapore's reaction.

In fact, Singapore’s previous Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had long said about Singapore’s choice.

Two most important points worth paying attention to

Huang Xuncai's visit to China this time has two key points. The primary purpose is to express his opinion, oppose hegemony, and confirm the win-win route between China and Singapore.

In fact, Singapore has a big name that restricts Chinese shipping. It is an important hub for China's energy and shipping industry. Once blocked, it will cause considerable storms to China's economic market.

But Singapore did not do so.

The Malacca Strait card can be said to be a trick of "injuring one thousand enemies and losing eight hundred themselves".

Since 2013, China has become Singapore's largest trading partner for 12 consecutive years. Cutting off friendly relations with China is equivalent to sending away the financial backer's father.

It has to be said that Singapore's economy is highly dependent on the Strait of Malacca. If the Strait of Malacca is used to suppress China, it will have a significant impact on Singapore's economy.

At the same time, due to geographical reasons, Thailand has been eyeing the functionality that the Strait of Malacca can provide, and plans to dig the Kra Canal to get a share of the shipping economy.

Compared with the Strait of Malacca, the Kra Canal has a better geographical location, shortening the range of 1,000 kilometers, which can greatly reduce the time and cost of shipping.

Once the Kra Canal appears, it will be a heavy blow for Singapore.

Some people may ask, since the Kara Canal can help Thailand's economic growth, why hasn't it been built yet?

The reason is that Thailand lacks people and money, so it is impossible to truly land the Kara Canal, but China is different.

We have the speed of China that is attracting the world, and are proficient in infrastructure and very fast. Once the route of the Strait of Malacca is disconnected, China will inevitably attack the Kara Canal.

Anyone with a brain cannot make such a choice.

Another reason is that the US side’s hegemony is that while the Sino-US trade war, the US side has increased tariffs on Singapore by 10%.

Huang Xuncai once said in person that what the US side did disappoint me very much.

It can be said that Singapore was pushed to China by the United States.

After expressing his attitude, Huang Xuncai began to promote major projects of China and Singapore, continuously strengthened the quality of China-Singapore cooperation, and took a win-win road down-to-earth.

Suzhou Industrial Park, Tianjin Eco-City and Xinzhong (Chongqing) strategic interconnection are landmark achievements in China-Singapore cooperation.

During this visit to China, Huang Xuncai mentioned the above results again, and at the same time, he invited China to target popular artificial intelligence and other projects, expressing his willingness to cooperate with China.

Eco-city Green Creation Center

Not only national conditions, but also public opinion

According to Hong Kong's South China Morning Post, Singapore's Generation Z, that is, the younger generation, pays more attention to and tends toward China.

The survey shows that more than half of Singaporeans believe that China's influence in Southeast Asia is increasing, and its growth rate is far higher than that of the United States. For Singapore, China has not only ranked first among its important trading partners for 12 consecutive years, but is also one of Singapore's major investor countries.

Especially in recent years, the continuous development of the "Belt and Road" has increased the economic ties between China and all Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore.

In addition, the influence of Chinese culture in Asia can be said to be a long-standing source, and there are many Chinese in Southeast Asian countries, and the influence of Chinese culture is constantly expanding.

At the end of last month, the US Embassy in Singapore posted malicious videos on the Internet, constantly pouring dirty water on China, intending to influence Singapore's public opinion in this way.

In May, the U.S. Embassy in Singapore released a video comparing China's South China Sea proposition to the accumulation of debris in the corridor of Singapore's public residential buildings, trying to inspire China-Singapore relations

What they didn't expect was that people in the Internet era are no longer sheep who listened to the wind or the rain. A large amount of online information has broadened people's horizons and allowed Singaporeans to easily see through this inferior little trick.

The Singapore Foreign Minister made a statement that Singapore will never be used as a gun by a great power agent and will never become a place to create conflict.

Small country survival method

There is nothing black or white in the world, just as Singapore’s choice of China as a strategic partner does not mean giving up the United States completely. Nowadays, the global village is in the context of the increasingly fierce game between great powers, and the "Hell King is in trouble when fighting the little ghosts" is nothing more than that.

The South China Morning Post survey shows that 56% of Singaporeans are skeptical of their country's independence. In today's highly modernized society, Singaporeans' concerns undoubtedly highlight the plight of small countries.

To put it bluntly, Singaporeans' attention to China also represents their concern for survival and security issues.

So how should Singapore deal with it? Former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has repeatedly given vaccinations for the people of the country.

Lee Hsien Loong once said that once the Sino-US trade war falls into an uncontrollable situation, it will lead to a turbulent and uneasy situation all over the world. If you want to survive in this quagmire, Singapore must be prepared in advance and fasten your seat belt.

After taking office, Huang Xuncai responded flexibly, not choosing sides or taking sides, and took his own country as the starting point, constantly exploring and finding a balance point for survival between major powers. This is not only Singapore, but also the core challenge facing many small Southeast Asian countries in the future.

Conclusion

Feng Shui turns, but in a century, China has become one of the great powers that influence the world. While being proud, we also need to constantly reflect on ourselves and move forward from the carefulness of small countries.

It is basic not to seize other people's beds just because we are huge. More importantly, we should learn to cherish the current peaceful life and continue to grow to ensure that our descendants can enjoy a better life that is now or even beyond the present.