Singapore hopes Aukus pact contributes to regional peace and stability amid US-China rivalry

Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said the US is engaging more with Southeast Asian countries but they do not want to be forced to take sides

He also told a forum that China wanted to be treated as an equal superpower and Washington should not expect Beijing to become more like itself

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Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan is seen during a signing ceremony at the US State Department. He said the city state does not have ‘undue anxieties’ over the new Aukus alliance. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:45pm, 7 Oct 2021Updated: 8:51pm, 7 Oct 2021

Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Thursday said the Aukus defence alliance highlights Australia’s decision to align closer with its traditional ally the United States, and the pact could have potential benefits for peace and stability in the region.

“Australia has done its own calculation and decided it needs to tack far more closely with America at a strategic level,” he said.

Speaking at a forum organised by think tank Asia Society Australia and Bloomberg, he added that Singapore does not have “undue anxieties” over the new security partnership between the US, Britain and Australia, which has in recent weeks drawn mixed responses from countries in Southeast Asia.

“These are three long-standing partners. We understand their strategic interests. We know this is not directed against us,” the minister said in response to a question on Washington’s engagement with Southeast Asia in light of the Aukus pact.

Singapore hoped the Aukus set-up could contribute constructively to regional peace and stability and complement the existing regional architecture in an open and inclusive way, he said. “As long as these conditions are met, I think this will be positive.”

While some countries in the region, such as Malaysia, have warned that the deal could provoke other powers to behave more aggressively and could potentially start a nuclear arms race, Balakrishnan said he would not “venture into that kind of speculation”.

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