In front of the global media, Singapore Defense Minister Chen Zhensheng threw a sentence in Chinese: Choosing a side station means stepping aside, and stepping aside has to choose a side station. This expression with oriental philosophy is not only a "cultural reversal" in language, but also a "strategic declaration" in position.
On the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, a big stage focusing on global security governance, he told the world with practical actions that small countries are not equal to whispering, and small countries also have their own logic and responsibilities.
More importantly, this “Chinese speech” was not just to express friendship, but to draw out a diplomatic route different from the “candidate station” in the seam of the great powers.
Geography is speaking, reality is asking: Singapore cannot choose side, nor can it choose side.
If the game between countries is a game of chess, then the position of Singapore as a "pawn" can be described as extremely subtle.
Located at the entrance of the Strait of Malacca and controlling one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, Singapore is not the geographical center of Asia, but the neural hub on the global trade chain.
This “strategic golden spot” is destined to make it impossible to stand by, because once it chooses the side, it means that the other side’s trade, capital, technology, investment, and even security support can immediately “stop.”
After Trump returned to the White House, the strategic layout of Asia was more oppressive, the Philippines, Japan and South Korea adjusted their attitude toward the United States, and Southeast Asian countries collectively faced "stand-up pressure".
At the Xiangshan Forum, Singapore's new defense minister didn't beat around the bush and showed his cards directly: Singapore will not be an agent of any country.
This is not an expression of emotions, but a real judgment.He said very clearly: Choosing a side stand is a side stand, meaning that once you stand on the wrong side, you can not only drop the side, but also be kicked out.
For small nations like Singapore, which rely on open trade and neutral diplomacy, this is not a political risk, but a crisis of survival.
Moreover, Singapore’s economic and trade ties with China have been deeply linked, with new bilateral trade in goods exceeding $115 billion last year, and cooperation within the framework of the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement).
If on the sidelines of China and the United States, the cost is far more than a diplomatic "cold face", but a real economic shock.
Chen stressed that Singapore respects the interests and positions of all nations, but will not become the “call lamp” or “horseman” of any country.
To say clearly in Chinese: not choosing side stations, does not mean no position.
Many people mistakenly think that not choosing sides is "sitting on the fence" and "grass on the wall", but Chen Zhensheng made the final word this time: not choosing sides doesn't mean he has no position. Behind this sentence is Singapore's long-standing diplomatic philosophy-neutrality and non-alignment, but with a bottom line and choices.
In his speech, he used a metaphor with great Chinese cultural significance: the stronger the country, just like the higher the skill in martial arts novels, the more it must know how to converge.
This is not a joke, but an irony of the current international order.You come and go between the big countries, and if the small countries work together, they become the ashes on the chessboard.
Singapore's position has long been shaped, starting from the era of Li, Singapore has clearly known its "weight" and "quantity". it is not based on military strength, nor on resources export, but on "system + wisdom" in the international system.
Chen Zhensheng explained Singapore's "survival logic" clearly in Chinese this time: not taking sides does not mean neutrality and inaction; Adhering to the rules does not mean blindly following them.
He also specifically pointed out a core view: the big powers have the responsibilities of the big powers, and the small countries have the responsibilities of the small countries. In the context of the constant pressure of the U.S. ally system and the continuous warming of regional security, if the small countries were to hide behind, the world would only be more opposite and more dangerous.
Some of the voices inside Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and even the Philippines, are also increasingly inclined to "no side" strategy.
This time, Singapore is not only speaking for itself, but more like telling the truth for the whole Southeast Asia.
Reject the label of "agent", and small countries can have a big pattern
Chen Zhensheng explicitly rejected the title of "agent" at the forum. To put it bluntly, it was a response to the "clique formation" behavior of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region in recent years.
From the AUKUS trilateral alliance, to the trilateral summit between the United States, Japan and the Philippines, to the continuous pressure on the South China Sea issue, the strategic layout of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region is becoming more and more obvious.
The logic behind it is simple: pulling more "children" and blocking so-called "strategic competitors", but this approach, in the countries represented by Southeast Asia, is becoming increasingly unfriendly.
Singapore’s stance is not “anti-American” but “anti-exploited”.This has been seen in the past.After the 2016 South China Sea arbitration case, Singapore did not follow the U.S. stance, but called for a diplomatic settlement of the dispute.
When the United States promoted the "Indo-Pacific Strategy" in 2020, Singapore also made it clear that it did not want to see the region militarized.
This time, Chen spoke more straightforwardly: once he became an agent, he lost credibility, meaning which country would be willing to deal with a “crab” without an independent judgment?
In addition, he also put forward a very practical suggestion: communication is the first step, and mutual trust is the second step. Only with communication and mutual trust can a mechanism be established.
This phrase is a warning about the absence of the current Asia-Pacific security mechanism.Great powers play the game, mechanism construction cannot be backward, otherwise it can only be based on the old logic of "who fists big who speaks" to maintain peace.
This is exactly what Singapore wants to avoid. It does not want to see the Asia-Pacific become the main battlefield of the "Cold War 2.0" and does not want to be involved in the whirlpool of confrontation between major powers. What it wants is stability, security and cooperation-this is its "foundation" as a financial center and trade hub.
At this point, Singapore’s position is not in line with China’s “Global Security Initiative” in recent years.
Both sides emphasize “dialogue priority, cooperation priority, win-win priority”, both opposed to camp confrontation and geopolitical division.
"Choosing a side is stepping aside." Chen Zhensheng's diplomatic mantra spoken in Chinese is not only a declaration of Singapore's position, but more like pouring cold water on the current international situation.
As more and more small and medium-sized countries make similar voices at the Shanghai Forum, the United Nations, and international conferences, the world may need to re-enter what is called “responsible international behavior.”
Singapore this time has no choice, but has chosen awake. rejecting agents, precisely because of the understanding that the real national interest, never standing behind who, but standing under their feet.
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Singapore's defense minister spoke in Chinese in Beijing: selecting side stations is by side stations, and by side stations you have to choose side stations September 18, 2025 18:25 Beijing Daily client