SINGAPORE - Singapore’s foreign policy is driven by principles, rather than a quest for balance, said Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sim Ann on Wednesday.
The space available to Singapore to exist depends not on its ability to perform a balancing act, but whether any basis for cooperation remains between major powers, she said.
She added that Singapore will do its utmost to broaden the basis of international cooperation.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday during the debate on the President’s Address, she said that maintaining a balance between the US and China appears to have become the yardstick by which Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans measure the success of Singapore’s foreign policy.
But instead, what shapes foreign policy are the core principles that Singapore needs a peaceful and secure external environment, and a transparent and effective international law and stable global order, said Ms Sim in Mandarin. It also needs an efficient, well-regulated and globalised market economy system.
Singapore, as a small country lacking natural resources and one highly dependent on free trade, depends on these factors for its survival, autonomy and prosperity, she added.
Her remarks came after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke on the geopolitical storms facing Singapore, including the deepening hostility between the two superpowers – the United States and China.
Ms Sim noted that Singapore-China and Singapore-US relations were not built on the basis of Singapore unilaterally maintaining a balancing act.
“Rather, these bilateral relations reflect decades of substantive, win-win collaboration,” she said.
“We seek to make friends and keep friends, but above all, we must maintain our standing as an honest broker. This concept stems from our obligations as a free port, but is also how Singapore seeks to create value for others in international affairs.
“This means doing what we say, and saying what we do; not just telling others what they want to hear; and not saying different things to different parties.”
Ms Sim added that in a situation where major powers treat each other with suspicion, misunderstandings and prejudices will only deepen, and the international order will inevitably be shaken.
“There will be significant missed opportunities to prosper jointly, and to tackle global problems. No amount of balancing would help in such a scenario,” she said.
Hence, Singapore wants to see the global situation improve and will make efforts towards this – such as its efforts in championing a rules-based multilateral system, and co-facilitating negotiations on developing carbon markets to contribute to the global effort to limit carbon emissions.
“While there are limits to what we can do as a small country, we must act on our conviction on multilateralism and our needs for peace and security and economic development, and do our utmost to broaden the basis for international cooperation,” she said.
