Standards has been falling at ST and also the SCMP. I was surprised at the writing in this article. Midway I detoured to check who wrote this. It was one of our own veteran journalists, Zuraidah Ibrahim. Her other half is Cherian George, a good writer and incisive thinker. We lost both of them to Hong Kong.
To me this was the most important sentence in the story.
"maturation process" in SG-China relationship.
Ms Ibrahim provided the context for our expulsion of Huang Jing by reminding us of our the expulsion of the first secretary of the US embassy here way back in 1988. Fast forward our relationship with the US strengthened. Ditto what will follow from our action against Huang Jing. In private, Singapore is steering a different direction, not a complete change of course but just as in leaning in more toward the US before, we will be building our relationship with the Chinese more rapidly like we had with the US now. In other words the environment changed, we adapt. Whoever drove the change we ride with the driver. Post Cold War it was the US, now it is China.
This just a game of best friends and better best friends. The focus is on "best" rather than "better". Whoever makes more sense and earned the "better" that country now is China.
It does not mean that our relationship with America will weaken but it does mean there is more growth between us and China vis a vis the Americans. The ball is in America's court when it becomes post Trump to catch up or lose out.
After Jack ma bought scmp, there is no more pay wall. And it has become the ccp mouth piece it seems.
ReplyDeleteZuraidah Ibrahim understands the thinking here which most foreigners find very difficult and report us inaccurately to an audience that is even more ignorant.
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