The personalities on the TV program were quite excited to see how China could make Singapore irrelevant. Now China is a juggernaut and cannot be resisted. We will have to figure a way to make a good living as we had before.
Increasingly the Chinese see us as aligning with the US against them. They are signaling to us how they might fix us and with their rising power there is no shortage of means. It is not necessary to use the military but that would also be an available option eventually.
As I have blogged before the Chinese is a Goujian character. Those who disagree can see it happening before their eyes now.
Sure this grandiose and audacious plan might not work. It is geopolitically devilishly difficult. But we have to bear in mind that as price takers is not for us to decide. Even if it is partially implemented it would constitute a grave challenge to us.
I also thought it will be American who will make us choose a side but it is Chinese it seems. China is actually facing a period of internal uncertainty hence the arrows are pointing outward now. In all honesty the SCS claim beyond the fishing grounds are worth the effort? Yet china is doubling down on its claim. You would feel china is trying to forge an empire in some sense, maybe they are overreaching. But we should see, but surely Singapore role as an entrepot is coming to an end soon? But how do we transform from here is my worry. Whoever is the next PM is going to have a tough holding the country together.
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