Singapore–China Relations: Building Substantive Ties amidst Challenges

Singapore is extremely small compared to China on a range of indicators such as geographical size, population strength, natural resource endowment and economic scale. Despite this huge asymmetry, Singapore has been able to develop a substantive relationship with China. On its part, China also sees value in engaging Singapore in a number of areas.

In fact, the two countries interact and cooperate in many fields ranging from economics, business, the arts, culture, education and the environment to military cooperation (that has progressed from bilateral land-based to naval exercises). This relationship is also manifested at many levels ranging from government-to-government ties involving the top leaders to people-to-people exchanges of tourists and students. Over the years, bilateral relations have not only deepened in existing areas but have also broadened into new areas such as financial cooperation and legal and judicial matters.

Perhaps even more notable has been the establishment of three government-to-government projects over the years which are in line with the development priorities and needs of the two countries. By working hands-on on common projects, the two countries are able to share and benefit from each other's experiences as well as best practices from around the world. Moreover, each of these projects is overseen by a high-level bilateral cooperation mechanism that ensures progress is being made on a regular basis. Such a mechanism also provides a regular platform for the leaders and officials of the two countries to interact and get to know each other better. It would be rather unusual for China to have such a mechanism with a small country like Singapore unless it saw value in the relationship.

Going forward, there are broader factors at play that have affected and could increasingly affect the dynamics of this bilateral relationship. Foremost among them is the strategic realignment of forces between China and the United States, which small states like Singapore will have to adjust to. When China–U.S. relations are stable, there will be more room for small states to manoeuvre. However, when there is tension in China–U.S. ties, there will be greater pressure on small states to take sides. Moreover, China has certain expectations of how small countries like Singapore ought to conduct themselves, and it has made this known in no uncertain terms. On its part, Singapore, as a small country, has always stressed the sanctity of principles such as the rule of law and the resolution of disputes through legal means rather than the "might is right" approach.

From Turbulent Times to Better Relations

Before diplomatic ties were established, Singapore and China stood on opposing sides of the political and ideological spectrum. In the 1950s, 1960s and even 1970s, China lent moral and material support to communist insurgency movements in Southeast Asia that threatened to overthrow the post-colonial governments in these countries. Singapore was among the Southeast Asian countries that were particularly vulnerable following its separation from Malaysia in 1965 and the intractable challenges of economic survival and nation-building.

Unlike its Southeast Asian counterparts, the Singapore government had to grapple with the additional challenges of assuaging the concerns of its Malay neighbours that Singapore would not come under China's sway or become a "third China", given its predominant ethnic Chinese population.¹ At that time many ethnic Chinese in Singapore had a strong attachment to their country of origin, i.e., the People's Republic of China (hereafter China), and had little sense of a Singapore national identity. To foster such an identity, Singapore since independence has practised multiracialism and multilingualism so that its citizens would not think of themselves as exclusively a Chinese, an Indian or a Malay, but as a Singaporean first. Equally important, Singapore made a political decision to be the last country in ASEAN to establish diplomatic relations with China.

Despite its political and ideological differences with China, Singapore adopted a pragmatic approach and maintained economic and trade relations with China. For instance, when Malaysia's relations with China deteriorated during the period when Singapore was a part of Malaysia from...