Are US-China ties in ‘challenging environment’ the biggest test for Singapore’s next PM Lawrence Wong?

Wong, currently deputy prime minister, shed light on his governance style in an interview with The Economist on Monday, reaffirming a “pro-Singapore” approach that was neither “pro-China” nor “pro-US”.

Analysts say navigating such a relationship will be the biggest test for Wong, as the tiny state finds its place in a volatile region increasingly influenced by bigger powers.

Beijing viewed the US as trying to “encircle, and suppress them, and trying to deny them their rightful place in the world”, he said.

He said China sees itself as a “strong” country whose “time has come” and that it hopes to be “more assertive in national interest, including national interest overseas”, noting that Beijing would face backlash if it “pushes its way around other countries and overdoes it”.

Observers note that Wong’s foreign policy rhetoric centres on maintaining the principles of the ruling People’s Action Party since its rise to power in 1965, prioritising stability, enhancing military capabilities, and economic growth.

But sooner or later, Wong may be pushed to define what his pro-Singapore stance would look like in “practical terms”, said Chong Ja Ian, associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.

“The environment for Singapore is more challenging than ever before,” he said.

“It seems somewhat strange that the approach is to do things as they have been done before because in a new geopolitical environment, you would adapt, change and update rather than to just stick with what you’re familiar with.”

“We are very careful when we conduct relationships with both [mainland] China and Taiwan, that it’s consistent with our One China policy,” Wong said, noting that if all parties in the conflict understand the