In China, ‘bridge-builder' Singapore champions a multilateral world

A marquee visit by
Singapore Prime Minister
Lawrence Wong to China this week has underscored a push by Southeast Asian countries for multilateralism amid uncertainty over America's commitment to the region and free trade.
Observers say Wong's comments during his five-day trip, particularly at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin, or so-called Summer Davos, are aligned with the regional agenda of
Asean members in recent years.
But even as Chinese President
Xi Jinping called for his country and Singapore to 'stand on the right side of history' and advocate for an equal multipolar world, analysts say it remains to be seen if Beijing will put its money where its mouth is.
Wong's China visit marked his first such trip outside Southeast Asia since being sworn in as prime minister in May 2024. It also comes after the decisive win of his ruling party at the general election last month.
At their meeting on Tuesday, Xi in his comments to Wong echoed his message to other Asean leaders earlier this year to stand up against 'unilateral bullying' and 'tariff abuse' in reference to US President
Donald Trump 's trade policies.
'Hearing that straight from the senior-most leadership in China is somewhat reassuring, but of course the proof is in the pudding,' said Chin-Hao Huang, associate professor of political science at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

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A pause that refreshes? What's ahead for US-China tariffs and trade talks

South China Morning Post

2 hours ago

South China Morning Post

A pause that refreshes? What's ahead for US-China tariffs and trade talks

After months of chest-thumping, accusations and threats, look for US-China trade relations to weather an uneasy pause as the giants retreat from extremist positions, guard against backtracking and alter the negotiating dynamic toward an eventual agreement, analysts and former US officials say. The breather follows this month's London sit-down after the two engaged in a high-stakes tariff battle then went for each other's jugulars, with China blocking rare earth exports and Washington choking off jet engines and semiconductor software. 'Absolutely the trend lines point in the direction of a truce, a pause, a respite in US-China tensions,' said Jeremy Chan, a senior analyst at Eurasia Group. 'We're seeing signs of short-term stability that weren't there even a month ago.' The pause, which went into effect on May 12, is set to last three months if it is not extended. That is likely to result in US tariffs being capped at 55 per cent and China's at 10 per cent, according to analysts, with Washington using the hiatus to ensure that Beijing resumes rare earths exports and Beijing seeking more organised negotiations to moderate Trump's unpredictable approach. And while the Iran crisis has added uncertainty , its probable impact on any US-China deal is expected to be minimal. 'The blow-up in the Middle East will not materially add to the already aggravated state of US-China ties,' said Sourabh Gupta at the Institute for China-America Studies in Washington. 'It will be limited to loud rhetoric.'