Great powers should shoulder higher expectations from smaller countries: Chan Chun Sing

BEIJING - Great powers should be prepared to shoulder higher expectations from smaller countries that may feel insecure and need reassurance when relative power shifts and perceptions change, said Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing.

“A country growing in strength may assert itself to address longstanding grievances and interests. Yet that same growth in strength may look very different to those around it. Smaller countries will look up to it and expect more of it,” he said at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum on Sept 16.

“In short, when big countries shoulder more responsibility, small countries have fewer worries.”

Speaking at a plenary session, Chan was addressing the topic of countries strengthening their own security without weakening that of others.

He is in China on Sept 15-17 at the invitation of Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun. This marks Chan’s second appearance at the Xiangshan Forum.

The 13th forum brings together hundreds of defence and diplomatic officials, academics and representatives of international organisations to discuss regional and international security issues. It is often viewed as China’s version of Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue, the largest defence and security conference in Asia.

Chan, who is also Coordinating Minister for Public Services, will also meet Dong and other senior Chinese and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leaders, said Singapore’s Ministry of Defence.

At the Xiangshan Forum, Chan said overcoming what is commonly described in international relations theory as the “security dilemma” requires countries to rethink what “winning” means.

To some, “winning” means outgunning and outlasting a rival, he said.

“But in today’s world, a more realistic conception, and a stronger and better concept, of “winning” is to win over the world through the power of our example and not the example of our power,” he added.

Chan also said countries should build trust through strategic patience, which he describes as the wisdom to choose the course of action that best serves one’s long-term interest despite immediate pressures.

“Not every capability needs to be advertised, not every advantage must be immediately pressed and not every provocation demands an immediate response,” he added.

Quoting Chinese Confucian philosopher Meng Zi, he said: “Power may compel others to comply. But in the end, it is trust that truly wins others over.”

While every country’s starting point is its own national interests, the object of diplomacy is not to deny these interests but to find out where they overlap and build real cooperation within that shared space, he added.

Singapore’s relationship with China illustrates this, said Chan. He cited Singapore’s support for China’s reform and opening up from the very beginning and how the Republic advocated for China’s entry into the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in the 1980s and started the first government-to-government project Suzhou Industrial Park in 1994.

“Despite our differences in perspective and ideology and the size of our population, our leaders found common ground to cooperate for mutual benefit,” he said.

Singapore welcomes China’s aspiration to be a responsible major country, said Chan, adding that China’s reform and opening up transformed the lives of its people and contributed greatly to the prosperity of the region.

As the PLA, which has made great strides in its military modernisation, approaches its centenary in 2027, there is much potential for it to make a positive contribution to global stability and security, he added.

Chan said that in the 12 months since he last spoke at Xiangshan Forum, the global distribution of power, both real and perceived, has continued to evolve.

The technology race has been heating up, the imbalance in consumption and production has grown, trade and investment further securitised and weaponised, while warfare evolved rapidly.

These trends exert pressure on countries to preserve and advance their national power at the expense of others, which in isolation, may appear justifiable, said Chan.

“Collectively, however, each action produces a reaction, leading to a spiral of insecurity benefiting no one,” he said.

“Therefore, it is not enough for each country to merely ensure its own security. The true test of statecraft is this: how do we strengthen our own security without weakening the security of others, or without aggravating the insecurity of others?”

He then shared how Singapore overcame such challenges in the past, first by achieving domestic stability. This enables a country to cooperate with partners and act in its enlightened long-term interest internationally.

“In today’s uncertain world, we must work even harder to strengthen our domestic fundamentals rather than try to externalise our domestic issues,” he said.

Singapore’s leaders have also avoided exploiting foreign policy for political gain, even when there were historical issues with our neighbours. Instead, the Republic worked to settle issues amicably in favour of national interest, such as reaching a diplomatic resolution with Indonesia despite challenges in Singapore’s early years.

In today’s climate, it is tempting to view interdependence as a source of vulnerability, he said.

“But history tells us that in the long term, interdependence expands the pool of common interests between disparate countries,” he said, adding that it creates the incentive to cooperate or at least to compete within an agreed set of rules.

“I must emphasise that competition and rivalry do not mean that we’re enemies. Competition and rivalry, if well managed, can spur all of us to do better,” he said.

This is why Singapore has sought to build an open and inclusive external environment since its early years, such as working with neighbours to build up ASEAN, and continuing to advocate for the preservation of the international rules-based order.

“For example, Singapore has put on record our refusal to negotiate for safe passage or toll rates for straits used by international navigation, such as the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.

Trust is what makes cooperation last and enduring, he said.

“When we have trust, we can resolve difficult issues quietly behind the scenes. Without trust, small misunderstandings can simmer over into major problems,” he said.

While this matters in the physical domain such as at sea or in the air where mishaps can happen if one is not careful, it matters even more in invisible domains like cyberspace where intentions are unclear and attribution is not simple, said Chan.

China’s Dong spoke at the same plenary session, alongside Vietnam’s deputy prime minister and defence minister Gen Phan Van Giang, Thailand’s defence minister Lt Gen (Ret) Adul Boonthumjaroen, Russian’s state secretary and deputy minister of defence Anna Tsivileva, and France’s Ministry of the Armed Forces deputy director-general for International Relations and Strategy, Lt Gen Sebastien Vallette.

In his opening speech, Dong urged countries to build a new security approach based on dialogue and consultation rather than confrontation, and partnership instead of alliance.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining stability with multilateralism and the need to have effective security governance systems to uphold international fairness and justice.

“Within such a system, major countries should take the lead in shouldering responsibilities. Small and medium-sized countries can make active contributions.” he said.

The address comes just a week before Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to travel to the US for a state visit and summit with American President Donald Trump, over a decade since Xi’s first state visit in 2015.