TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) listed Taiwan Strait tensions as part of the strategic challenges affecting the city-state in his 2022 National Day Rally address on Sunday (Aug. 21).
China’s growing influence in the world has led to many problems including trade disputes, cyber espionage, and territorial claims in the South China Sea, Hong Kong, and “most recently and worryingly, sharply escalating tensions over Taiwan," Lee said.
The prime minister stated the U.S. and China must work together on many global issues including climate change, pandemics, and nuclear proliferation. However, strained bilateral ties are making this “almost impossible.”
Neither side expects relations to improve anytime soon, he added.
Lee pointed out that the war in Ukraine also impacts security in the Asia-Pacific and has added to already strained U.S.-China relations. He said the region has been peaceful for so long that it is hard for Singaporeans to imagine it being different.
“But look at how things have gone wrong in Europe. How suddenly and quickly. Can you be sure that things cannot go wrong like that in our region too?” the prime minister asked. He advised his fellow citizens to “get real” and be psychologically prepared.
Lee said Singaporeans must be steadfast in abiding by “fundamental principles of international law” and cooperate with other countries to uphold the rules-based international order, including by speaking up at the U.N.
He also said the country’s conscription system should be taken seriously. “If we do not defend ourselves, no one is going to defend us on our behalf.”
Lee also stressed that citizens must remain united in order to overcome any external threat.
