“This will definitely affect his political base, as ethnic Chinese hold the value that if a person cannot handle his family well then he loses the ability to run a country,” he said.

Watch: Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s apology over his family feud

Zhang Mingliang, another Southeast Asian affairs expert from Jinan University, agreed that the feud could undermine Lee’s image after he stressed the importance of family harmony in his Lunar New Year messages.

But the prime minister’s image would be affected as “even his closest family members distrust and openly accuse him”, it said.

Despite the undoubted problems on the domestic front, Ju said that the Lee family feud would not affect how China regards Singapore.

While Beijing has expressed concern at Singapore siding with the United States on maritime disputes in the South China Sea, it has also sent officials to the city state for training on governance.

“The future development and reform of China’s political system has a lot in common with the transformation of Singapore’s political system, so Beijing can draw a lesson from it,” he said.

The Lee siblings, like many of Singapore’s elite, were educated in the West, and are therefore more inclined to be open about things. This might have implications for the way China deals with Singapore, as Beijing prefers to keep things discreet, he said.

“After this family saga, Beijing might think more about whether to apply Eastern or Western philosophies when dealing with issues,” he said.