Singapore is currently in the midst of a pivotal period of political transition, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong set to formally resign in the middle of this month.
Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will take over the important post.
This change has sparked intense attention on how Singapore's new government will adjust its foreign policy in response to the complex and volatile external environment, especially the relationship between China and the United States.
Regarding the direction of Singapore's diplomacy after Lawrence Wong took over, he made it clear in an interview that Singapore's foreign policy will maintain a consistent tone, that is, it will not favor the United States or China, but will take Singapore's national interests as the starting point and end point.
Lawrence Wong plans to continue the diplomatic strategy of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to respond flexibly to external situations, ensure the maximization of national interests, and avoid blindly choosing sides.
However, Lawrence Wong also recognises that as the relationship between China and the United States rebalances, the external environment facing Singapore will be fraught with uncertainty, which is likely to persist over the next decade or beyond.
This is undoubtedly a serious challenge for the incoming new prime minister.
In response to the evolution of the geopolitical landscape in the Asia-Pacific region, the new Singapore government is actively preparing.
They realised that with the current state of affairs in the US-China relationship, Singapore may no longer be able to enjoy a stable external environment as easily as it did in the past.
Therefore, they need to be highly vigilant to avoid being forced to choose sides and get bogged down.
In the past, Singapore's external environment was often summarized as "dependent on China for its economy and dependent on the United States for its security".
But to be clear, this description is not absolute.
In fact, Singapore also has strong ties with China in terms of defense cooperation, and there is also a lot of economic exchange with the United States.
These two aspects are not completely separated, but each has its own focus, and there may even be a certain competitive relationship.
Speaking about Singapore's defense relationship with the United States, Lawrence Wong emphasized that Singapore is not an ally of the United States, but the only major security partner of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region.
The main reason why he emphasized this point is to show that Singapore does not currently intend to dock with the US military alliance system in the Asia-Pacific region. Because the confrontation between this system and China is already quite obvious.
Against this backdrop, not only are traditional U.S. allies such as Japan and South Korea actively cooperating with U.S. strategic deployments, but the Philippines, a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has also had some friction with China over the South China Sea issue.
Although Singapore is not a direct party to the South China Sea issue, its economic development is highly dependent on the security and stability of sea lanes.
Therefore, it is only natural that Singapore is particularly concerned about maritime security issues in the Asia-Pacific region.
They are well aware that once they join the US military alliance system, they may involuntarily get involved in confrontation with China.
In response to media questions, Mr Wong was asked why Singapore was reluctant to call itself an ally of the United States while accepting weapons, security and other benefits from the United States.
He responded that there was no necessary link between defense cooperation and being an ally.
The mutually beneficial relationship between Singapore and the United States has been maintained for many years, and this relationship has reached its best in its current form.
If it is further escalated to an alliance, it could backfire and harm the common interests of both sides.
Similarly, Singapore has a similar view of its relationship with China.
In Wong's view, potential geopolitical risks can only be minimized by maintaining a close and close relationship with both China and the United States.
He is well aware of the complexity of the current US-China relationship and the negative factors involved, so Singapore needs to be cautious in order to safeguard its national interests.
When it comes to the international order, Lawrence Wong expresses an ambiguous attitude.
He noted that the "rules-based international order" is under tremendous pressure, but Singapore has no choice but to do its best to preserve it. This reflects Singapore's ambivalence about the changing international geopolitical landscape.
They recognize the idea of a multipolar structure to a certain extent, but they are reluctant to openly challenge the US-led "rules-based international order."
Since Singapore is also one of the beneficiaries of this system, it is natural that they want to maintain the status quo.
However, given Singapore's size and international status, it is true that they cannot withstand too many political and economic tosses.
Therefore, Singapore prefers to adopt a prudent and pragmatic strategy when it comes to external relations.
They hope that while safeguarding their own interests, they will also try their best to avoid getting involved in disputes and conflicts between major powers.
As far as China is concerned, we are not asking Singapore to choose a clear position.
On the contrary, it is more important for Singapore to be able to define itself and adhere to the principle of neutrality.
As long as Singapore can do this, it will already be a highly responsible demonstration of China-Singapore cooperation.
It is worth noting that although Lee Hsien Loong is about to resign as prime minister, he will not completely fade out of the political scene.
It is reported that he has promised Lawrence Wong that he will continue to exert his residual enthusiasm in the future as state counsellor.
This move not only helps to ensure the continuity and stability of Singapore's domestic and foreign policies, but also sends a positive signal that Singapore will continue to maintain its consistent foreign policy and strategic direction, even in times of political change.