Singapore Holds Naval Drill With China, but U.S. Remains Top Security Partner

Newsweek

25 February 2021

This article also appeared in MSN Singapore and MSN NZ

Singapore has held its first naval drill with China in nearly five years amid a widely perceived tug-of-war over the key city-state between Beijing and Washington. Following Joe Biden’s election victory last November, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong rejected the idea of Singapore ever joining the president’s so-called “coalition of democracies” to counter Beijing’s growing influence in Asia—a concept Lee described as a “Cold War–style” line-up. Given Singapore’s business-led approach to foreign policy, it was never likely to join an ad hoc group to contain China. Despite the potential for warming military ties with Beijing, the United States remains Singapore’s “primary security partner”, maritime security analyst Research Fellow at Singapore’s RSIS Collin Koh told Newsweek.

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Last updated on 04/05/2021