Singapore’s Role as a Neutral Interpreter of China to the West
Walter Woon
Walter
Woon is Lee Kong Chian Visiting Professor at Singapore Management
University as well as an honorary fellow at St John's College,
Cambridge. He is an Emeritus Professor at the National University of
Singapore and previously served as Singapore’s Attorney-General and
Ambassador to the EU.
On
February 15, 1898, the battleship USS Maine blew up in Havana harbor. At
the time, Cuba was part of the Spanish Empire and tensions between
Spain and the United States had been brewing for some time, principally
over Cuba’s struggle for independence. There was no evidence that Spain
was responsible for the destruction of the USS Maine; however, lack of
evidence did not inhibit American newspapers in their competition for
eyeballs. Sensationalized and biased reporting by the New York Journal
and the New York World stoked the flames of wild nationalism, giving
rise to the popular slogan “Remember the Maine.”
War
followed. The United States took Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico,
and Guam from Spain. The aftermath of the Maine incident is a cautionary
tale of how biased and sensationalist reportage can lead to a breakdown
in bilateral relations between states.
Western
reportage of China has long suffered from an inherent bias against
China. The Chinese government is perceived as an authoritarian,
communist regime. These biases came to the fore in the accusations of
“genocide” in Xinjiang, allegations of China’s unfair trade practices
that necessitated U.S. trade tariffs, and most egregiously, the baseless
theory that COVID-19 originated from a “lab leak” in Wuhan. If the
growing West-China division is to be bridged, the Western world needs a
more nuanced interpretation of China.
Singapore’s
close relationship with both the West and China gives it a unique
advantage as a more neutral interpreter of China for the Western world.
Singapore’s
relationship with China is complex. The ancestors of most of
Singapore’s population originated from China, principally the provinces
of Fujian and Guangdong. These Chinese Singaporeans have a long history
of aiding China against foreign aggression. Singapore-born
philanthropist Cheang Hong Lim donated significant sums to the defense
of Fuzhou against the French at the height of Western imperialism in the
19th century. After the Japanese invasion of China in 1937, Tan Kah Kee
chaired the China Relief Fund, which raised money to defend China
against the Japanese. During World War II, resistance hero Lim Bo Seng
parachuted into occupied Malaya as part of Force 136. He was caught and
executed; the Nationalist government of China posthumously awarded him
the rank of major general. Xian Xinghai composed “Defend the Yellow
River” at the height of the Sino-Japanese War. He was educated at Yeung
Ching School (now Yangzheng Primary School) in Singapore. The song is
still taught to schoolchildren in China and was played by Lang Lang at
the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
However,
this history does not mean Singapore instinctively aligns with China.
Indeed, China supported communist insurrections in Singapore and Malaya
from the 1950s up to the 1970s. As a result, groups perceived to be
supported by the Chinese Communist Party were viewed with suspicion and
hostility by the People’s Action Party (PAP)-led Singapore government.
During this period, and especially after Singapore’s separation from
Malaysia in 1963, Singapore relied on the West, particularly Britain and
the United States, for its military security and economic growth.
Relations between Singapore and China eventually normalized when China
opened up in the late 1970s and stopped supporting communist movements
in the region.
Singapore’s
perspective of China is primarily informed by its need to balance its
relationship with both the China and the West. As a result, Singapore’s
reportage of China does not suffer from the biases of seeing China as a
competitor or an ally.
Lianhe
Zaobao, Singapore’s largest Chinese language newspaper, has
Chinese-speaking correspondents based in different parts of China as
well as in Taipei and Hong Kong. By featuring commentaries in both
Chinese and English from various parts of China – but also from Hong
Kong and Taiwan – Zaobao provides a diversity of perspectives on China.
Zaobao’s reporting has been criticized from both the West and China – a
testament to its relative neutrality. In July 2023, the Washington Post
ran a story accusing Zaobao of echoing Chinese propaganda. Chinese media
commentators, on the other hand, have accused Zaobao of “learning from
American teachers and teaching China how to do things.” Likewise,
Singapore’s public intellectuals do not necessarily hew to the received
(Western) interpretation of the Chinese threat prevalent in the United
States and its allies.
Notwithstanding
Singapore’s growing relations with China, Singapore continues to retain
close, albeit unofficial, relations with Taiwan. Singapore could
therefore play a constructive role in managing relations across the
Taiwan Strait. If there is to be rapprochement between China and Taiwan,
Singapore is an ideal place to start the negotiations.
Singapore
already acts as a neutral venue for meetings of officials and
politicians on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. A notable instance was
the meeting between then-Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou and Chinese
President Xi Jinping on November 7, 2015. Singapore can serve as a
neutral venue for meetings and negotiations among officials from China,
Taiwan, and the United States. The polemical rhetoric that accompanies
any discussion on Taiwan in the U.S., as seen during then-House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi’s ill-conceived visit to Taipei, would be absent in
Singapore.
The
dangers of passive neutrality by small powers during great power
competition are exemplified by the fate of Melos during the
Peloponnesian War. Melos’ refusal to give up its neutrality in favor of
Athens led to a general massacre of its population, following a siege by
the Athenian army. There is no real danger of Singapore suffering the
fate of Melos. One hopes that saner politicians and military men on all
sides will not push matters over the brink. However, small states that
are caught in the crosshairs of great power competition continue to
remain vulnerable to trade embargos, cyber attacks, and threats from
non-state actors.
Singapore
wants good relations with both China and the United States. Singapore
can quietly offer private and confidential advice to both sides to
enhance mutual understanding between these two powers, without public
grandstanding. At the same time, Singaporeans should not be afraid to
speak out in order to counter dangerous ignorance and rising anti-Asian
prejudice in Western societies.
A
neutral, nuanced voice, like that of Singapore, could help to reduce
tensions between the United States and China. In law there is a wise
maxim: audi alterem partem, hear the other side. In the great echoing
caverns of the Western media and public intellectual space, such a
nuanced voice is vital. Singapore is well-placed to provide that neutral
voice, privately and publicly. |