(Dan Tri) – Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that tensions between the US and China should not entail pressuring small countries to choose to side with one of the two sides.

The Prime Minister of Singapore spoke at the Shangri-La Dialogue

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 31.

Recalling the nearly 200-year colonial history of Southeast Asia, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said small countries do not want to be pressured into taking sides amid tensions between the US and China.

“I recall history to demonstrate that Southeast Asia is no stranger to the big game of countries, and also to provide some historical perspective for the current strategic context,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.

Prime Minister Lee said Singapore’s stance on China’s `Belt and Road Initiative` as well as the US Indo-Pacific strategy is fair and consistent.

`Those relationships should not create opposing blocs, deepen rifts or force countries to choose one side or the other,` Prime Minister Lee said.

When Lieutenant General He Lei, a delegate from China, asked how Singapore could avoid having to choose between major powers, Prime Minister Lee said Singapore would do “the best we can” to “become a friend of

“If we want to avoid having to choose sides, we need to not be pressured to choose sides.

In his speech, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on both the US and China to accept and adapt to a rising China.

“China’s development has changed the world’s strategic balance and economic gravity.

“The core issue is that the United States and China need to cooperate with each other and with other countries to move the global system forward, not cause trouble for it.

“Competition does not necessarily mean conflict”

Delegates listen to the Singapore Prime Minister’s speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue.

According to Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, it is natural for two great powers to compete for `power and influence`, but `competition does not necessarily lead to conflict`.

“The US-China bilateral relationship plays the most important role in today’s world.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong believes that small countries like Singapore have little ability to influence large countries.

“In this way, we can strengthen our influence as a group and promote a collective stance on issues that matter to us, be it on trade, security or

Commenting on the current US-China relationship, the Prime Minister of Singapore said that lack of strategic trust is the core leading to increasing tensions between the two countries.

Mr. Li said that the US and China will make a serious mistake if they continue on the current path.

“If both countries resolve the trade dispute purely on the merits of the issue, I’m sure trade negotiators will be able to resolve it.

Dedicating a significant part of his speech to US-China tensions, the Singapore Prime Minister said that `there is no need for direct conflict, just a period of instability and prolonged tension will be extremely damaging.`

“In economic terms, the loss is not just one or two percent of the world’s GDP, but the huge gains in globalized markets and product chains,” Prime Minister Lee said.

Success

According to SCMP, Straitstimes