Between Rising Powers: China, Singapore and India

Foreword

Foreword The rise of China and India has become an issue of global significance as we enter the 21st century. Concerns about Malthusian dilemmas, economic stagnation and weak governance of these countries clearly seem to have given way to debates on what the future holds for international politics involving China and India as responsible “stakeholders” of the international system. Singapore, with its pragmatic foreign policy driven by an unsentimental balance of power realism, is one of the most active players in the region trying to engage both powers. Singapore’s important role in building stronger ties between the two countries and ASEAN has attracted considerable attention, especially as Singapore has played a major role in promoting preferential trading arrangements (free trade agreements) between ASEAN and both China and India. Singapore’s vital role in ASEAN also means that both China and India are striving to have closer working relations with Singapore. This book is therefore an important and timely contribution to the debate on Singapore’s emerging relationship with China and India. Reflecting the title of the book, this work captures the essence of how Singapore is positioning itself between China and India. While Asad notes that Singapore’s engagement of China is deeper, longer and more substantial, both New Delhi and Singapore are trying to enhance their relations with each other. The 00 BRisingPowers Prelims 8/1/07, 3:54 PM 9 book provides a penetrating analysis of India’s attempt to be a major player in the Southeast Asian region. While most academic writings on Singapore’s relations with India and China tend to focus on the economic rationale of these relations, this book is one of the first attempts to outline both the political and military/ defence aspects of their relations. Asad argues convincingly that these aspects are equally significant, if not more important than the economic relationship as Southeast Asia could be a theatre of competition between China and India as these two emerging powers expand their spheres of influence. He also predicts that the region could be a theatre for India to evolve new partnerships with China, thereby moving from the post1962 policy of containment to co-engagement with China. Asad predicts that Singapore’s relations with these two emerging powers will have important implications not only for the country but also for the larger ASEAN region. Asad’s work is an extremely important study that is filling a dearth in scholarship about Singapore’s efforts to facilitate China and India’s engagements with Southeast Asia. As such, it is a must read for scholars and policy-makers interested in the international politics of Southeast Asia, China and India. This important contribution will go a long way in providing new insights into the region’s international politics. It is only with this enhanced understanding that we will be able to formulate new strategies of engagement and appropriate policies in dealing with the two rising Asian giants. Barry Desker Dean, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Director, Singapore Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies Singapore x Foreword 00 BRisingPowers Prelims 8/1/07, 3:54 PM 10 ...