Hsien Loong walking on a tight rope

Caught in between two balls and hanging in the centre, it is a difficult act indeed. Singapore is a small country caught in between two super powers, China and the USA, and has been walking on a tight rope for everyday of its existence. Funny thing is that other countries in Asean or elsewhere did not have such a problem. Did we choose to walk on the tight rope to show off?  Singapore’s official foreign policy is to be friends to all, especially the two super powers. Every now and then the leaders will make their pilgrimage to the two capitals to pay homage to the deities residing in Beijing and Washington.

This is fair and good. As long as Singapore is not taking sides, it would not trip on the tight rope or be pushed to fall. The walk is treacherous and the act a very difficult one when the two powers are at each other’s throat. If you are not my friend you are my enemy. Singapore often has to take sides, like joining the Coalition of the Willings to invade another country when Singapore was obviously the unwilling partner. Singapore is lucky so far as the victims of the coalition were not the openly declared friends of the other superpower. It would be tricky if another superpower declares interest in protecting the targeted country.

Singapore’s position is gradually being compromised and leaning more towards the Americans. Maybe it has no choice as the American way is that if Singapore does not be a friend, it becomes a natural enemy. So Singapore is blowing the trumpets for the American’s presence in the region, supporting the American military pivot to Asia, hosting American warships for military intervention and warfare.

Hsien Loong has just visited Washington, feasted and highly praised by Obama as a reliable and valuable friend, or an accomplice in all American military adventures in violation of national sovereignty and interference with another country’s internal affairs. The latter is contrary to Singapore’s official policy of non interference in other country’s domestic affairs. This is going to blow up into Singapore’s face one day for sure.

The key message that Hsien Loong brought to Washington, with high expectations of buying a sick and premature top end American fighter aircraft, is the open invitation to the Americans to play a bigger role to counter the presence of a rising China, the other super power that Singapore is courting and sleeping with. How is this going to be taken by this sleeping partner is not looking well. Is this classic diplomacy or crass diplomacy, only time will tell. But time is running out unless Hsien Loong has it all worked out before the visit and this sleeping partner has quietly consented to the unfriendly gesture. Sending Chok Tong to China at the same time may be an attempt to placate the Chinese for what he had to say to please the Americans and in making a joke of China.

The call for the Americans to counter the Chinese, and never the Chinese to counter balance the Americans is one sided, loaded against the Chinese. It would be a great act if Hsien Loong could walk the whole tight rope safely without tripping. The Chinese must be holding back whatever they wanted to say or do. What Hsien Loong said in America was not the least complimentary, and the condiments of jokes included.

LKY could pull it off in his time. He was unusual as a statesman. Could Hsien Loong pull it off this time, like his father did, with such a one sided leaning and his unabashed fawning over the Americans, that he was with the Americans first and last?