Singapore urged the US to allow China to have a greater say in shaping global rules to avoid a prolonged clash that could force smaller countries to choose between the world’s biggest economies.
Speaking to an audience in Washington, Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said it would not work to view China as an adversary that must be contained, and called for “constructive competition” between the superpowers.
A world that splits into rival blocs would jeopardise gains made under the US-led world order over the past 70 years, he said.