"Limited Following": The New Trend Of Singapore's "Hedging Strategy" Towards China

In recent decades,the diplomatic strategy of Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries to a reemerging China is described as “hedging”.After the establishment of formal diplomatic relations with China,Singapore insisted on the “traditional hedging” of making friends with China and the United States at the same time.Although Singapore was more inclined to the United States during this period,it also maintained an overall good relationship with China.However,since 2009,Singapore has gone further and further on the road of “welcoming the United States and defending against China”.Repeatedly challenging China's bottom line in the South China Sea arbitration has brought relations between the two countries to a freezing point.Repeatedly challenging China's bottom line in the South China Sea arbitration has brought the two countries' relations to a freezing point.However,since 2017,Singapore's attitudes and policies towards China have rapidly “turned around”.This article compares and analyzes the hedging strategies of Singapore at three different stages and finds that this change is not a simple return to“traditional hedging”,but a further step,with a new trend of “limited-bandwagoning”.In the new era,in the field of military security,Singapore and China have upgraded cooperation.In the field of economy and trade,Singapore has followed China in an all-round way.In the field of politics and diplomacy,Singapore has clearly closed to China.This article believes that there are two main reasons for this trend in Singapore.From the perspective of the system level,Singapore's changes conform to the evolvement trend of regional pattern.When the security,economic,and political patterns of the entire region develop in a direction that is beneficial to China,Singapore,which pursues “pragmatism”,will inevitably follow the trend.From the unit level,China is Singapore's important trade and investment market.China can also provide the huge economic opportunities for Singapore in futrue.As the “Belt and Road” continues to develop,Singapore will become an exchange hub for countries along the route,and even become the “Oriental Geneva”In view of the above reasons,this article believes that although Singapore's policy towards China will be affected by the new US administration in a manner,the trend of“limited bandwagoning” will not change much.But China must continue to consolidate its image as a responsible power among Southeast Asian countries in order to maintain this favorable situation.