CHINA: Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s prominent official visit to China, his first sanctioned tour outside Southeast Asia since taking office in May, has underscored Southeast Asia’s larger diplomatic plan—an expanding commitment to multilateralism amidst growing ambiguity about U.S. engagement in the region. According to the latest SCMP report, the five-day trip, which coincides with the 35th anniversary of China-Singapore ambassadorial bonds, comes on the heels of a robust electoral triumph for Wong’s dominant party.
A strategic debut: Wong’s China visit signals ASEAN’s priorities
Speaking at the World Economic Forum’s Summer Davos in Tianjin, Wong stressed the value of overhauling old-fashioned global agendas to mirror today’s digital and economic realities. He mentioned Singapore’s initiatives, along with those of Japan and Australia, to formulate innovative global guidelines for e-commerce. This effort now has the support of more than 70 nations, as a classic example of realistic and logical collaboration among “like-minded” states.
“This is painstaking work, but there is no alternative,” Wong said. “A new system doesn’t appear by magic—you have to build it.”
Xi’s multipolar vision meets ASEAN caution
Chinese President Xi Jinping resonated similar demands for fighting “unilateral bullying” and being on “the right side of history,” indirectly disparaging U.S. trade protectionism. Nevertheless, specialists continue to be doubtful about whether China will support its pomposity with practical policy changes.
Chin-Hao Huang, a political science professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, noted that ASEAN’s objectives are to diminish geopolitical aggression, endorse negotiations, and preserve a rules-based order, which aligns with Wong’s message. “To what extent is China going to live up to the expectations of being a responsible stakeholder,” he said.
The U.S., Huang added, has shown diverse indicators, hesitating between advocating transnational guidelines and withdrawing into separatist tactics. This contradiction, predominantly under President Donald Trump, has deepened ASEAN’s drive to strengthen regional multilateral institutions without over-dependence on any global force.
ASEAN hedging in an era of great power rivalry
As the U.S. commitment falters, Southeast Asia appears to be silently reassessing, reframing its allegiances, and changing course. A recent Foreign Affairs article contended that nations across the region are “gradually but discernibly” slanting toward China, even as many profess noninvolvement. Scholars Yuen Foong Khong and Joseph Liow found that while Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand have continued to adopt successful evasion approaches, others, such as Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, are evidently aligned with China.
Benjamin Ho from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies clarified that Wong wanted to prompt China that a firm and unchanging, rules-based structure would benefit Beijing just as much as its neighbors. “Given the uncertainty of American commitment to the region, countries in the region, including China, have the responsibility to sort of ensure that the multilateral order doesn’t vanish or get totally wrecked,” he stated.
Wong recapped Singapore’s pledge to maintain solid and durable ties with all major powers, including the U.S., EU, India, and Japan. This calculated balancing act, predictors infer, allows Singapore to function as a political conduit in a progressively diverged world.
The future of multilateralism: Rhetoric or reality?
While Wong’s visit produced new commitments to strengthen and develop bilateral collaboration in areas such as AI, green finance, and digital trade, questions remain about the usefulness of what he calls “flexible multilateralism.” The model highlights flexible, consensus-driven collaboration among eager partners, distinct from the unyielding, obsolete international institutions that have fought in order to advance.
However, with the United States withdrawing from free trade treaties like the Trans-Pacific Partnership and even halting WTO subsidies, many ASEAN adherents are turning to China-led efforts, such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, to sustain economic impetus.
“The global economic configuration has changed,” Huang said. “China is now the world’s second-largest economy, and Southeast Asia must adjust to reflect that reality, without abandoning the principles that have underpinned its growth and stability.”
To that end, Singapore’s message is strong and clear-cut—it is not picking sides, but defending and supporting a multilateral future that is adaptable, wide-ranging, and well-matched to a world that is no longer defined exclusively by post-World War II institutions.
