Singaporean Minister of Defense Ng Eng Hen |
Singaporean Minister of Defense Ng Eng Hen said on Dec. 4 that it is "neither possible nor strategically necessary" to contain China's rise. He made his remarks while speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California as part of a recent attempt by both the Singaporean government and media to patch up China-Singapore relations.
China is now an integral leader of global systems in trade, finance and security, the minister said, adding that it is clear China needs the world as much as the world needs China. The minister believes this interdependence will grow, not diminish.
Speaking about the importance of continued U.S. engagement in the Asia-Pacific, Ng noted that people should view the rise of China, India and ASEAN nations as a positive outcome of U.S. foreign and defence policies over the last 70 years. That fact alone validates U.S. policies in Asia over the last few decades, he argued.
"But I think this success brings a suite of new challenges as we contemplate U.S. foreign policy moving forward," Ng added. "We ought to have larger strategic interests in mind."
The U.S. security presence in the Asia-Pacific region is one-dimensional and structurally brittle, said the defense minister. He later pointed out that the U.S. needs a multifaceted relationship with countries in Asia.