World order

Minister in charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing (left) meeting with Minister of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Organisation Department Li Ganjie ahead of the 9th Singapore-China Forum on Leadership at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing, China, on 12 September 2023. (SPH Media)

Minister Chan Chun Sing on Singapore-China relations: Mutual trust is vital to navigate a changing world

Singapore Minister for Education and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing gave the keynote address during the 9th Singapore-China Forum on Leadership in Beijing on 12 September 2023. Minister Chan noted the importance of taking stock and exchanging notes on how countries’ approaches to governance must evolve as both the internal and external environment change, and stressed that facing the new challenges of the modern world requires cohesive leaders who work well together, not only within the government and with the people, but also with businesses and globally with international partners. Here is the edited transcript of his speech.
Cartoon: Heng Kim Song

ThinkCartoon (31 August)

Heng Kim Song has been the freelance editorial cartoonist

From left: Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, China's President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov raise their arms as they pose for a group photograph, at the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa on 23 August 2023. (Alet Pretorius/Pool/AFP)

BRICS expansion ups ante but can the momentum be sustained?

It would be a mistake to think that the soon-to-be 11-member BRICS would unite to become a formidable coordinating force at the international level, says Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong.
A woman shelters from the sun with an umbrella during a hot summer day in Chennai, India, on 16 May 2023. (R. Satish Babu/AFP)

Expanding the BRICS: New challenges for the embattled world order

Voices discussing the expansion of the BRICS are getting louder, leading up to the meeting of BRICS foreign ministers to be held this week in Cape Town. While China sees possible expansion of the BRICS as a useful development in growing its influence, other members of BRICS like India may view it with mixed feelings. ISAS academic Amitendu Palit explains.
(Clockwise left to right) US President Joe Biden, Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council Charles Michel, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, France's President Emmanuel Macron and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attend a meeting during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Hiroshima on 19 May 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP)

Ongoing tug of war as G7 meet and China looks on

At the G7 summit in Hiroshima from 19-21 May, the topics in focus are set to be China's impact on the world, as well as the Russia-Ukraine war. It is clear that every nation is trying to maximise its interest and chance for influence and survival in a state of global flux. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong looks at the anticipated discussions of the G7 meeting.
People cross a street in front of a large propaganda poster in Shanghai, China, 10 April 2023. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Why is China struggling with identity politics both within and outside the nation?

Currently, deglobalisation and efforts to decouple from China benefit no one. Not only that, identity politics, with ideology at its core, fuels Western nations’ foolish ways of achieving a pyrrhic victory. To deal with this, the CCP’s utmost priority is to avoid being constrained by others’ definitions and to present a new image of socialism with Chinese characteristics. But is China ready to do this?
US Capitol Police officers patrol on bicycles at the US Capitol in Washington, US, 21 March 2023. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Peacemakers, not warmongers, are needed in US-China relations now

While it seems that policy makers in both the US and China hold entrenched antagonistic views, making “war talk” commonplace, one should not surrender to that perceived inevitability. Every effort should be made on both sides to start rebuilding trust from less controversial issues, says US academic Zhu Zhiqun.
Chinese paramilitary police stand guard on the Bund in the Huangpu district in Shanghai, China, on 10 April 2023. (Hector Retamal/AFP)

Is China ready to lead?

China is far from possessing the ability, experience and resources to maintain and safeguard the global order. Thus, it is in its own interest to continue supporting the US as the global leader. Even so, amid a challenging international climate, China can no longer maintain a low profile. It needs to improve its global image and quell fears of the China threat. More importantly, the CCP should resist its internal urge to go all out on its fighting philosophy, which may likely win itself more enemies than friends.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. review the honour guard during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 4 January 2023. (CNS photo via Reuters)

Between economy and security: Does the Philippines' Marcos Jr have a choice?

While Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s 3-5 Jan visit to Beijing reaped economic opportunities, it was also a missed opportunity to leverage the 2016 arbitral award, says Philippine academic Charmaine Misalucha-Willoughby. The onus rests on the Philippines to keep the West Philippine Sea on the agenda, and there are several steps the Marcos administration should keep in mind in doing so.