SG foreign policy is clear and sharp

I was impressed with Shanmugam's speech until I realized it was essentially LKY's ideas but Shan has been a very good student.

We had succeeded to be best friends of the US and China but leveraging the overlapping interests between the two and trying to grow that space.

If I were American, I would say what do Singapore care about China overtaking us? They only want a peaceful Asia to do business regardless of who wins there. Singapore's message between the lines is America should try its best to stay strong but if you can't don't lose the plot by making it worse for all. One of those potential stupid acts is to weaken the alliance with Japan leaving her with no choice but to go nuclear.

The Japanese and Chinese are rational but only up to a point. Each side is willing to die for preserving national pride. The Americans are the stabilizers.

So Singapore hope America would continue to win but if she can't please lose peacefully. Any other scenario is worse for America.

Of course Patrick Daniel was way off the mark to claim the ST to be better than the NYT but he can surely boast that ST regularly makes more careless mistakes and do sloppy work: Friend, it is bites and not bytes!

Yes, chosen for getting things done but only as long as you belong to my clique. And get things done for who? First for the leaders and their inner circle whose interests must be protected and advanced first, then what is leftover for the people. Actually the reality is more complex. The smart Chinese leaders also take pains to make sure they can continue to enrich themselves without destroying the nation. This is not mine and certainly many people idea of quality leaders. Populism is bad but how good are a Politburo and NPC full of billionaires and millionaires with low official salaries? Vote with the private money and that is still leaving China.