S’pore is friends with China, Japan; good relations not a zero-sum affair, says PM Wong

The Republic's longstanding policy is to have as many strong and reliable friends as possible, he added. Read more at straitstimes.com.

TOKYO – Singapore will continue being friends with China and Japan, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on March 18, adding that having good relations with one country does not mean doing so at the expense of another.

The Republic does not see its diplomatic relations as a zero-sum affair, he said in response to questions from the local media about the tensions between the two Asian powers, and on how China might respond to his official visit to Japan.

In an interview to wrap up the main section of his visit, PM Wong said it has long been Singapore’s policy to have as many strong and reliable friends as possible.

He noted that founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew had laid out this fundamental principle of the city state’s foreign policy.

At an S. Rajaratnam Lecture in 2009, Mr Lee had said that a small country must seek a maximum number of friends, while maintaining the freedom to stay a sovereign and independent nation. Both parts of the equation are interrelated and equally important, he added.

Reiterating this axiom, PM Wong said: “We can be friends with both China and Japan, and America, for that matter. We want to maintain as many good friends as possible.”