Singapore's PM Lawrence Wong on Navigating a Fragmented Global Order and US-China Rivalry

The Fraying Global Order

• 💡 Singapore, celebrating 60 years of independence, thrived under a post-World War II rules-based international order shaped by American leadership, which fostered global cooperation and benefited smaller nations.
• ⚠️ This international order is now fraying as support for global engagement declines within America due to domestic issues like job losses and costly foreign entanglements.
• 🧠 The US is experiencing a structural shift towards inward focus, potentially marking a "new normal" where it can no longer lead on every global problem.

Geopolitical Shifts and Economic Turbulence

• 🚀 China has emerged as a near-peer competitor to the US, leading to a fierce contest for global supremacy marked by deep mistrust and potential for miscalculation, especially over flashpoints like Taiwan.
• 🌍 The world is in a messy transition, with the US stepping back from its role as "world's policeman" and no other nation able or willing to fill the vacuum, leading to a more fragmented and disorderly environment.
• 📊 Economic interdependence, once a virtue, is now seen as a vulnerability, with governments localizing production and using tariffs, export controls, and sanctions as instruments of statecraft, exemplified by the US-China tariff war.

Singapore's Strategic Response

• ✅ As a small, open economy, Singapore is deeply concerned by these developments and aims to respond with agility and resolve to shape its own destiny, leveraging its resources, capabilities, and global connections.
• 🤝 Singapore's first key thrust is to actively contribute to the stewardship of global commons by upholding international law and multilateralism, building consensus, and fostering cooperation on issues like AI governance, climate change, and pandemics.
• 🌏 The second thrust focuses on championing deeper regional cohesion and integration within ASEAN, aiming to accelerate economic integration, eliminate tariffs, and strengthen the regional architecture through initiatives like the ASEAN Power Grid and the East Asia Summit.

Strengthening Global Partnerships

• 🌐 The third thrust involves strengthening Singapore's global network of partnerships through existing frameworks like CPTPP and RCEP, and exploring new collaborations such as between CPTPP and the EU, and the ASEAN-EU strategic partnership.
• 🤝 Singapore is expanding strategic partnerships with like-minded countries across various regions, including Australia, India, France, and Saudi Arabia, and plans to open new diplomatic missions in Africa and Latin America.
• 💡 These efforts aim to make Singapore more resilient against uncertainty and shocks, ensuring it remains open to ideas, partnerships, and opportunities even as other countries turn inward.

Enduring Resilience and Future Vision

• 💪 Singapore has built deep capabilities over 60 years, overcoming resource limitations and establishing strong financial reserves and defense capabilities through consistent investment in institutions like national service.
• 🇸🇬 Singaporeans understand the importance of self-reliance and unity, recognizing that their nation's survival depends on collective responsibility and a shared sense of purpose.
• 🧭 Singapore will continue its historical role as a safe harbor, global emporium, and trusted hub, charting its own course with courage and foresight to bring value to its people and the world.