As a quasi-ally of the US, Singapore's stance toward the US and China is telling. Singapore's Channel News Asia released on Sunday an interview with Vivian Balakrishnan, the country's foreign minister who said Singapore will "be useful but we will not be made use of" in its relations with both China and the US. He also said Singapore will not become "one or the other's stalking horse to advance negative agendas." Singapore is one of the countries within ASEAN that highly depend on the US for security.
During the Obama era, it played quite an active role in coordinating the US' South China Sea agenda by endorsing the South China Sea arbitration pushed forward by then Philippine president Benigno Aquino III in 2016. But in recent years, Singapore has tried hard to maintain a delicate balance between China and the US. Small countries like Singapore have their own role in the region and on the world stage. They don't want to be used as a "stalking horse" by certain powers but they want to be useful in regional and international affairs.
China has attached great importance to ASEAN's role in boosting regional integration, and that's where Singapore can find itself "useful." It also wants to play a mediating role in China-US relations, as Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recently called on the two countries to de-escalate tensions. That probably constitutes what Balakrishnan meant by "being useful." It is worth noting that Balakrishnan's view was made public during US Vice President Kamala Harris' trip to the country, which will be followed by another one to Vietnam.
The first target of Balakrishnan's words is the US, as it is the US that views its allies and partners as something that can be "used" for its agenda. "Singapore is clear that the US hopes Southeast Asian countries could be confined by the US' Indo-Pacific Strategy whose ultimate aim is to contain China's rise. This is what Balakrishnan's 'be made use of' meant. So he said Singapore will draw a line between 'being useful' and 'being made use of.' Even when a senior US official comes, Singapore will not change its stance," an observer noted.
The US has ratcheted up efforts to win over Southeast Asian countries, manifested by Harris' visit to Singapore and Vietnam and other senior US officials' tours to the region in the past two months. Yet it will only enable Southeast Asian countries to see that the US is taking advantage of the situation and only focusing on its own interests. Washington does not view them as real partners, but as tools it can exploit to serve its strategies.
The US debacle in Afghanistan is the very example that when the US finds it not cost-effective, it will only abandon its allies or partners without hesitation. During Monday's press conference, Harris reportedly sidestepped a Singaporean journalist's question on US commitment to allies in the wake of the Afghanistan crisis, and reiterated talking points about partnership in Southeast Asia. Nonetheless, her talking points sound feeble. And when Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said his country valued the US renewing its ties with the city-state and other allies, his attitude appeared lukewarm.
With the US' sincerity toward Southeast Asia being called into question and regional countries pursuing an independent and balanced course, they will not become the "stalking horse" as the US has expected, but will carefully calibrate their interests to avoid falling into the US geopolitical trap.
Anonymous
17 comments:
Harris black magic does not work so well after all.
Suffice to say, Indonesia, the biggest power in ASEAN already made their position clear to the conflicting powers not to drag them into their quarrel.
Other SEAN members can differ in their approach, but they must remember that, to the Chinese, taking revenge ten years later for them is not too late. China will always be around this region, not the others.
If Singapore listens to this black magic woman, I can guarantee Tuas would become a very big white elephant.
They still China is stupid and let Singapore plays its backside with no consequences.
Harris has a a bizarre behaviour of laughing suddenly and chuckling to herself, it has been noted . . .
Singapore is lucky that Thailand nor Malaysia could think straight. They could easily replace Singapore and make tons of money and Tuas would become a tourist attraction, the biggest port in the world with no ships calling.
The US secret covert weapon, i.e. the CIA, is creating Anti-Chinese feelings in Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
CIA is the biggest terrorist organisation in the world but no one dares to condemn it. They lie, they steal, they kill.
Pompeo was so proud of these. Traits of the devils. White devils but going around pretending to be angels to kill so called terrorists that were mostly trained and financed by them.
Kamala Harris trip to Vietnam is delayed due to a suspected Havana Syndrome threat. Is this really true or is it another make-up false flag story coughed out by the US Intelligence that failed miserably see the Taliban's onslaught coming?
CBS News reported that the incident in the Vietnamese capital is similar to previous incidents of Havana syndrome reported elsewhere.
In a statement, the US State Department said that Ms Harris's departure from Singapore to Hanoi was delayed after reports of a "possible anomalous health incident" there.
The department added that "after careful assessment", Ms Harris and her delegation decided to continue the trip to Hanoi, where she has now arrived.
A senior official quoted by CBS News said that at least one official had to be medically evacuated over the weekend. He added that the incident is not the first case of Havana syndrome reported in Vietnam.
I personally think that the US embassy official in Hanoi must have been struck by a 7th Month hungry ghost. A hungry person is an angry person. So is a hungry ghost.
Did she regret meeting our Taliban?
The smart Asean leaders would not want to be involved in supporting the evil American Empire's fight with China. Only silly Asean leaders would think it is good to be American lackeys and get caught in such a fight when they could be thrown under the bus by the Americans.
UN has become the poodle and stooge of the Evil US Empire again.
During Trump's Presidency, the UN was sidelined. Biden reconnected it again.
Remember the song by Santana - Black Magic Woman? The lyrics goes -
Got a black magic woman
Got a black magic woman
I got a black magic women
Got me so blind I can't see
That she's a black magic woman
She's trying to make a devil out of me and ........
Now which leader is going to be blinded by the Black Magic Woman casting her evil spell?
Vivian very smart to balance the two countries. But, two countries actually very easy, anyone can do. If can do 3 countries, can consider to join the circus. First ASEAN circus, then UN circus, finally UN Secretary General.
Kamala Harris can't even speak with confidence and conviction, and, worst of all, stammering while she speaks. How can her lip service be effective?
Even ordinary people like us can see through her insincerity and political gimmicks to try to con ASEAN leaders.
It is actually very insulting to the leaders of the ASIAN countries for the US President to send a sidekick, instead of himself, to placard for support from ASEAN countries to go against the Rising Dragon of the World.
The US is the Past. China is the Future. Every wise leader in the world knows this. So, no matter what the US does today to con the world about China, it will not work.
Kamala’s name spelt backwards is Alamak !
How The US Plays Out Australia
This is another example of how the US is habitually playing out its allies:
US frozen beef exports to China has surged in recent months, to serve aa an alternative channel of supply, while Beijing blocks imports of beef from Australia.
US exported US$107 million worth of frozen beef to China in July, compared to just US$35 million from Australia, China's traditional exporter.
China informally banned a series of goods from Australia, including coal, timber and wine last year amid 18 months of souring relations between Canberra and Beijing.
How can ASEAN countries trust the words of Kamala Harris?
Singapore and Vietnam leaders will be fools if they failed to see through the thin veils of unrespectful US diplomatic aggression, intruding into and invading the peace and tranquility of the region by inflammatory rhetoric to stir up troubles instead of ensuring long-lasting peaceful co-existence.
In the past 200 years or more, everywhere that the US poked a finger into, there was war, conflict and/or disaster. For example, Afghanistan, Horn of Africa, Indian Ocean, Iraq, Libya, Nepal, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and, if course, the famous US-Vietnam War, just to mention a few.
Even Australia, the staunchest supporter and ally of the US, has been played out wholesale. How can anyone trust the US any more than trusting the little boy who cried "Wolves!"?
LIPS.
Her boss could be worse. He forgets his lines, stammers as well, sometimes spouting incoherent things that got mixed up in his mind. No way he will come. That would let the cat out of the bag, indicating that they are literally prompting and coaxing his lines behind the scene. He also is in no position to answer difficult questions and will walk away to avoid that.
This woman, now aka Alamak, sometimes laugh without reason, like a witch. What is the USA leading to with such, so called leaders.
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