SINGAPORE: The cultural analyst and global affairs commentator Way Yuhl said in a video on Instagram on Feb 28 (Saturday) that Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is outmanoeuvring United States President Donald Trump.
“Singapore’s Prime Minister is building the system that makes trade work in the post-American world,” said Mr Yuhl.
Mr Yuhl further expounded on this in an entry he wrote on his Substack the day before, praising PM Wong for his strategy of creating connections that bring the middle powers together.
He noted the 28 free trade agreements, six digital economy agreements signed by PM Wong, as well as Singapore’s membership in the two major Asia-Pacific trade networks, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Mr Yuhl then characterised Singapore as “the centre through which trade flows, whether the US is involved or not.”
He also underlined that when the United States withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), it was Singapore who “helped rebuild it without Washington,” and pointed out that the EU had chosen Singapore as its first digital economy partner.
“The result is a seamless regulatory framework that makes Singapore the connective node of 21st-century commerce while the U.S. plays defense,” he said, adding that the Prime Minister does this by building the systems that enable everyone else’s deals: “common rules for how data, contracts, and invoices move between countries, faster customs processing, and payment systems that move between countries without delays.”
Mr Yuhl also characterised PM Wong’s leadership style as helping others to find solutions through connecting them with resources and ideas.
He “creates systems that make it possible for a Canadian exporter to reach an Indonesian buyer without Ottawa and Jakarta negotiating a separate deal. Singapore’s agreements already cover how invoices are processed, how goods are cleared through customs, and how payments are received. Wong is building the systems that keep trade moving as the old order falls apart,” the analyst added.
His Instagram video has been well-received, with a number of commenters weighing in on the subject as well.
“Little nuance for people who don’t know. Singapore’s commercial strategy was not born with Lawrence Wong or in direct reaction to Donald Trump’s policies; it is the result of a policy of constant openness for several decades (90’s). Today, it is a massive shock absorber. Well done, Singapore,” wrote one.
“The world is more global and not dependent on the US market anymore. Europe, Asia, and the Americas can move on strategically if they don’t agree with US policy and trade tariffs. With the huge amount of US debt and the dollar slowly losing its role as the trading currency, the US should be building stronger alliances and not tearing them down,” opined another. /TISG
