Wong in Beijing reaffirms Singapore's role in a polarised world

The ‘new generation’ prime minister of the city-state chose the People's Republic of China for his first trip outside Southeast Asia. In his meeting with Xi Jinping, he praised ‘multilateralism and the rules-based global order’. The ambitions of the former marginal colony that has become a major financial hub between East and West. On Taiwan, support for the ‘one China’ policy.

Singapore (AsiaNews) - ‘We can work together to establish closer ties and also to cooperate on regional and multilateral platforms, in order to continue to strengthen multilateralism and the rules-based global order, for the benefit of all countries.’

This was how Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong commented from Beijing on his meeting yesterday with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The 52-year-old Wong, who has been in office since May 2024, is visiting China for the first time as prime minister, in a context of deep uncertainty due to wars and the US government's tariff policy.

Against this backdrop, Xi Jinping expressed Beijing's willingness to ‘strengthen strategic cooperation with Singapore, tighten ties of collaboration and tackle challenges together, to bring greater benefits to the peoples of the two countries.’

During the meeting, the two leaders agreed on the importance of open and inclusive trade as a key driver of growth and stability.

Xi congratulated Wong on the results of the recent general elections in Singapore and updated him on China's domestic and external priorities. The two leaders had already met in November in Lima, Peru, on the sidelines of the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit. Wong told Xi that he had chosen China as the first country to visit outside Southeast Asia, demonstrating the strength and depth of the partnership between Singapore and Beijing.

With Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Wong had already recalled how ties between the two countries date back well before the establishment of formal diplomatic relations 35 years ago. The leaders acknowledged that Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's historic visit to Singapore in 1978, as well as founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's early support for China's reforms and opening up, laid the foundation for this relationship. ‘President Xi is in a unique position: he has met all of Singapore's prime ministers – Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Chok Tong, Lee Hsien Loong, and now me,’ Wong added.

On the highly sensitive issue of relations with Taiwan, Wong reiterated that Singapore maintains its ‘one China’ policy and opposes Taipei's independence.

Wong's long visit to Beijing reflects Singapore's international ambitions, mirroring its extraordinary transformation from a marginal former colony to a global power. Once considered a small and vulnerable island with no natural resources or hinterland, Singapore has become one of Asia's leading financial and diplomatic hubs thanks to visionary leadership, pragmatic policies and rigorous governance.

Under the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore charted a bold course: today, it ranks among the world's most competitive economies, with an influence that extends far beyond its size. Wong aims to represent not only the continuity of Singapore's foreign policy, but also the country's commitment to remaining a neutral actor determined to defend its worldview in an increasingly polarised international environment.