Singapore’s Awkward “Special Relationship” with China

Southeast Asia is home to more than 600 million people and the region generates over $3 trillion in economic activity per year. As a critical hub in this increasingly dynamic region, Singapore stands out as a leader in economic development and political stability. In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Lam Peng Er about the current state and future trajectory of China-Singapore relations. The interview covers Singapore’s stance on the war in Ukraine and its special but awkward relationship with China. Haenle and Lam also discuss Singapore’s strategy for navigating growing U.S.-China competition and assess the United States’ new Indo-Pacific Strategy as well as its potential impact on Southeast Asian geopolitics.

Dr. Lam Peng Er is a Senior Research Fellow at the East Asian Institute (EAI), National University of Singapore. He is the author of Japan’s Peace Building Diplomacy in Asia: Searching for an Active Political Role(London and New York: Routledge, 2009). Dr. Lam is an executive editor of the International Relations of the Asia-Pacific (A Journal of the Japan Association of International Relations published by Oxford University Press) and Asian Journal of Peacebuilding (Journal of the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies, Seoul National University).