US, China will determine issue of war and peace, Taiwan merely a ‘piece on the chessboard’: Singapore’s George Yeo

Former Singapore foreign minister George Yeo says Taipei, Beijing and Washington have exercised caution in recent weeks in dealing with the Taiwan issue, and that he would not overplay the importance of a Taiwanese presidential election scheduled for January.

Referring to Taiwan’s presidential front runner William Lai Ching-te’s visit to the United States and Paraguay earlier this month ahead of the crucial polls, Yeo said it was “calibrated to be low profile”.

Lai, who is currently Taiwan’s vice-president and a member of the Democratic Progressive Party, transited through New York and San Francisco on his way to Paraguay to attend President Santiago Peña’s inauguration, but did not meet any US officials or lawmakers. Paraguay is one of only 13 nations to maintain formal ties with Taipei.

“It was not only his wish, but it was an American requirement, and China’s response was equally calibrated,” Yeo said, referring to its more restrained drills conducted after Lai’s visit.

The People’s Liberation Army staged joint air and naval combat readiness patrols around Taiwan on August 19, in contrast to the three-day live-fire exercises around the island after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s stopover in the US in April, when she met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.