Former Singaporean minister for foreign affairs George Yeo’s (楊榮文) recent proposal of a “Chinese commonwealth” as a framework between Taiwan and China has caused much controversy. As he echoes the Chinese viewpoint, Beijing’s mouthpieces are expected to actively promote this view.
Singapore’s foreign policy is often seen as “balanced diplomacy,” but it more resembles “opportunism.” Before the city-state’s People’s Action Party gained power, it aligned itself with Beijing to attract Singaporean voters of Han Chinese ancestry. During his private contact with Beijing in the past, former Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀) once said that he listened to Chinese radio broadcasts, that he had a strong attachment to China due to his family background, and that his children had received Chinese-language education.
However, as the “Chinese factor” declined following Singapore’s independence, it adopted a tougher stance on China while leaning toward the US. Even former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) wrote in his diary that Lee was a politician with few political ideals and was greedy and opportunistic.
For more than 50 years, Singapore has been oscillating between the US and China depending on its political and economic needs. When Singapore needs China, it pretends to have a Chinese identity, but when it needs the US, it acts like an errand boy for the West.
In recent years, Singapore’s attitude toward China has improved due to both economic and international shifts, but it has been silent on the issues such as Xinjiang, Hong Kong and China’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to strong criticism from the West.
The exclusive meeting between Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and the Chinese State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office Director Song Tao (宋濤) was rarely seen in the international arena, as they were not on the same political level. As Singapore was submissive to China, this once again showed that it changes positions to suit its own needs.
During his visit to Taiwan, Yeo described Singapore as “a relative but not part of this Chinese family.” Was the “relative” attempting to boost its value between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait?
Some Taiwanese politicians from the blue and white camps deliberately tout Singapore, claiming that Taiwan should learn from and surpass it.
However, Taiwan has surpassed Singapore in areas such as freedom of the press and the democracy index. Those in political circles should abandon their fantasies about Singapore and not expect much from an opportunist.
Huang Hsin-ho
Taipei
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