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Singapore and Brunei are both Southeast Asian countries, and although they are both geographically small countries in the eyes of China, they may not see each other that way. First of all, in terms of land area, although Brunei is only 5,700 square kilometers, it is not as large as Shanghai. But Singapore is even more pitiful, with only 00,700 square kilometers, even a little more than half the size of Pudong New Area, which is a typical city-state, and Brunei is eight times larger. However, in terms of population size, Brunei is a small country with a small population compared to Singapore, with only 450,000 people, which is the population size of a county in China, but Singapore is not a small place, with 5.64 million people, which is at the level of a medium-sized large city in China.
However, whether it is Brunei or Singapore, they are out-and-out rich countries, Brunei's per capita GDP has reached 37,000 US dollars, and Singapore has directly reached 80,000 US dollars, in addition to the per capita difference of more than 2 times, there is a huge difference in the total amount, Singapore's total GDP in 2022 is about 467 billion US dollars, but Brunei is only about 14 billion US dollars, not even a fraction of Singapore.
This is because although both countries are rich, Singapore is a serious developed country, while Brunei can only be regarded as a rich country, because like the Middle East tycoons, the main way to get rich is to rely on oil, because of the abundant oil reserves found around its seas, so it lives a life without worrying about eating and drinking. At the same time, the political systems of the two countries are completely different, Singapore implements a parliamentary republican system, with a fictitious president and a prime minister with real power, although Lee Kuan Yew, Lee Hsien Loong and his son have been in charge of Singapore's real power for a long time, but there is also Goh Chok Tong from 1990 to 2004 as the prime minister for more than ten years, and Singapore's entire ideology and governing philosophy are also more biased towards the West.
As the leader of the country, the king directly determines the political and diplomatic direction of the country, and the most important thing he seeks is a stable internal and external environment. Under these different systems, philosophies, and vastly different economic conditions, the two countries have taken almost opposite directions in their diplomatic strategies, and Singapore, even though there are more Chinese, and even the only country established by Chinese predominantly other than China, has to pander to the United States as an anti-China pawn. Brunei does not seem to have much to do with China, and even the proportion of Chinese is not as large as Malaysia, but it chooses a more pro-China route.
Why is Singapore taking the anti-China line completely a business? And Brunei's more pro-China is just a deal!
Singapore's choice to side with the United States has always made many Chinese feel uncomfortable, but in fact, it is necessary to downplay the national sentiment in it, and then think from the perspective of national interests. In international relations, the ultimate thing is always about national interests, so what benefits can Singapore gain by taking the anti-China line?
The first is political capital, and Singapore also wants to gain international status, because although it is a small place, it is not weak in economic strength at all. This is similar to Brunei's "fortune" just by discovering oil and gas Purely God's favor is different, Singapore because of the Straits of Malacca, obtained an important trade center between Europe and Asia, although it is also the right time, but it can take off economically from the sixties and seventies of the last century, become one of the four Asian tigers, the important thing is to accept the transfer of the West industry, now Singapore's economy can further maintain growth, and the end of the 80s once again accept the transfer of the Western semiconductor industry is also closely related, the current electronic semiconductor industry is one of its important pillar industries.
These are all benefits that have been gained by following in the footsteps of the United States and the West. In addition, Singapore's strategic location is extremely important, and it needs a reliable boss to support it, and in the last century, the only force that could dominate the whole of Southeast Asia is probably the United States. Therefore, the US military presence in Singapore not only has no colonial connotation, but feels more at ease in Singapore's eyes.
On the other hand, Brunei, as a small country, also wants to enjoy the shade with its back against a big tree, but its strategic location is not as important as Singapore, and the United States does not look down on it. But at the same time, he was stared at by Malaysia, and he was once at risk of being annexed. In addition, with the rise of China, it needs to regain control of the South China Sea, and it must also try to get the support of some countries. With the help of China, Brunei not only built a new port but also built the Temburong Bridge, which closely connected the two parts that were almost divided by Malaysia, avoiding possible encroachment and annexation by Malaysia.
But nothing is a certainty, and China and Singapore have become closer in recent years, not only under the ASEAN framework, but also held joint military exercises this year, and now the two countries are exempting each other from visas. Singapore's move closer to China also reflects the rise of China's national strength and changes in the international landscape.