WHETHER Singapore chooses to join a specific multilateral bloc or grouping must be carefully considered and guided by its national interests and the fundamental objectives of its foreign policy, said Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday (Nov 11) in Parliament.
This may mean that from time to time, Singapore may have to say no to other states – some of which could be close partners or even global superpowers, said Balakrishnan.
The minister was responding to a question from Workers’ Party Member of Parliament Gerald Giam on how Singapore assesses the increasing alignment of Asean and Asia-Pacific countries with security and economic blocs dominated by major powers.
In his reply, Balakrishnan noted that the creation and expansion of various multilateral groupings is “not a new phenomena” in the region. “Each of these has a different and overlapping configuration of members, and in fact, have been around for many years (and) decades.”
These developments – such as the emergence of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, and the expansion of Brics – are part of a response to a transition from a unipolar world to a multipolar world, he added.
“We will keep an open mind on all these new constructs, and we will continue to watch developments closely in so far as the impact on Singapore,” said the minister.
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While Singapore is not a member of groupings such as the Quad and Brics, noted Balakrishnan, it shares “excellent ties” with the individual members in these groupings.
“What is important for Singapore is that these new emerging arrangements, especially when they intersect with our region, do not undermine Asean centrality,” he said. These groups should also support an open and inclusive regional architecture and promote a rules-based order guided by international law.
In particular, said Balakrishnan, Singapore’s priority is for Asean to continue to play a central convening role and for the region to have the “centre of gravity” which brings all key players together to find common ground and harness the region’s full economic potential.
The East Asia Summit, for instance, is an example of a multilateral platform which has allowed Asean to play a key role in the last two decades.
Asked by Giam if Singapore’s stance of not taking sides is still sustainable in an increasingly polarised world, Balakrishnan replied that this is the most sensible position for Singapore to take given its national circumstance, geographic location and economic growth.
“We do best when we can engage everyone, not by aiming to take sides or be a vessel or proxy state, which in fact I think will be a recipe for disaster and invite the recreation of South-east Asia as an arena for proxy wars,” he added.
