Prime Minister Lawrence Wong called on China to champion open, rules-based trade during a speech at the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan, deploying the careful diplomatic language that has long defined Singapore's approach to navigating great power competition.
Speaking Thursday at the annual gathering of Asian political and business leaders, Wong emphasized the importance of multilateral trade frameworks and international law in maintaining regional stability, according to Channel NewsAsia. The remarks come as trade tensions between Washington and Beijing threaten to fragment global commerce into competing blocs.
"Small countries like Singapore have the most to lose from a fragmented international order," Wong said. "We depend on open seas, open skies, and open markets. These are not Western concepts—they are universal principles that benefit all nations, large and small."
The speech reflects Singapore's existential dependence on free trade. The city-state's economy relies on trade flows equivalent to 320 percent of GDP, among the highest ratios in the world. China is Singapore's largest trading partner, accounting for 15 percent of total trade, while the United States ranks third at 7 percent.
Wong stopped short of criticizing Beijing's trade practices directly, instead framing his message as a call for all major powers to uphold international norms—the kind of diplomatic ambiguity that allows Singapore to maintain relationships with both and without alienating either.
