Southeast Asia won’t be ‘split between two camps’ over US-China rivalry, Singapore’s Lee Hsien Loong says

The regional geopolitical outlook is ‘not all gloomy’ given the efforts by states to maintain good ties, says PM Lee at the Asia Future Summit in Singapore

With globalisation ‘in retreat’, countries must maximise cooperation opportunities for the region to reach its full potential despite geopolitical challenges, Lee adds

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Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Photo: AP

Published: 8:45pm, 5 Oct 2023Updated: 8:55pm, 5 Oct 2023

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday said he was optimistic that Southeast Asian nations would not be “split between two camps” despite the intense rivalry between the United States and China, adding that the regional geopolitical outlook was “not all gloomy” given efforts by states to maintain good ties with both superpowers.

“While different countries will align more closely with one side or the other, nearly all still want to be friends with both,” Lee said in a dialogue session at the geopolitics-focused Asia Future Summit in Singapore.

Lee said Asian countries could take a cue from other states, citing recent efforts by Japan and South Korea to thaw bilateral relations, as well as moves by China and Australia to ease trade tensions that stretch back to 2020.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Seoul in May. The leaders have taken steps in recent months to thaw bilateral ties. Photo: Pool via AP

While US ally Australia “may not see eye-to-eye on strategic issues” with China, Lee said the two countries shared a deep economic relationship, noting that Beijing had since lifted tariffs on Australian barley exports and barriers to Australian hay exports.

“So even countries that are not like-minded allies need to learn to cooperate and coexist with one another,” Lee said.

The Singapore leader was speaking at the final panel of the two-day foreign policy forum organised by Singapore newspapers The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao and The Business Times.

Besides great power competition, Lee said the region was also dealing with “our fair share of difficult issues” such as the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, and in the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea claimed by China but administered by Japan, which calls it the Senkakus.

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