Vivian Balakrishnan: US & China need to sort out differences to work on pandemic, climate change issues

The foreign minister stressed the need for multilateral cooperation as the world transitions from a unipolar to multipolar world.

Julia Yeo | August 06, 2020, 06:55 PM

Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan stressed the importance for the United States and China to "sort out their strategic differences" to collaborate on multilateral global challenges that the world is currently facing, namely the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change.

Stressed need for multilateral cooperation

The foreign minister spoke at the annual Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday evening, Aug. 5, which was held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The key point here is that we're moving from a unipolar world to a multipolar world," the foreign minister said as he stressed the need for multilateral cooperation, adding that it is unrealistic to think that the world would revert to the "good old days" where the U.S. would "singlehandedly carry this world".

Quoting the 2015 Paris Agreement on combating climate change as an example, Vivian said that the pact was only possible as both U.S. and China agreed on it.

"All our future strategic challenges are going to be transnational -- climate change, pandemics... cyberspace, outer space; all these big challenges will require cooperation, multipolar leadership, and multilateral institutions and processes."

Asia wants U.S. and China to sort out strategic differences, think outside of zero-sum game

He also spoke about Asia's stand towards U.S.-China relations, and the region's desire for the two powers to "sort out their strategic differences, to resolve these differences", and to collaborate together on multilateral global challenges the world is facing.

"So my point is not to look at things in binary terms, you know, enemies and friends, through sides, but to actually recognise that we are transiting to a multipolar world, that you must not look at things in purely binary terms," the minister stressed, urging the major powers not to lose sight of equities at stake.

Vivian emphasised the "old canard (that) you are either with us or against us does not work in a multipolar world", reiterating that the world needs to look at issues outside of binary terms.

Urged people not to play the blame game on Covid-19 during crisis

An audience member had asked Vivian if he believed that China owes a debt to the rest of the world for not containing Covid-19 in the early days.

In response, the minister said that he did not wish to enter into a "blame game", and emphasised that the Covid-19 pandemic is still an ongoing issue that requires international collaboration and cooperation, not blame.

"No government has executed anti-Covid strategy perfectly. All of us have made our share of mistakes," Vivian said, echoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who said last week that no government has dealt with the virus outbreak "completely perfectly".

"There'll be time for blame after the crisis is over. But right now, we need to focus on cooperation and collaboration," he stressed.

He also mentioned that China's move to issue a lockdown in Wuhan, which was the initial epicentre of the virus two days before Chinese New Year was "a big deal".

"To contemplate shutting down a city that large, two days before Chinese New Year, is a big deal. There may have been a delay, but I have no doubt that once they understood the gravity of the situation, they did things that frankly most of us would have hesitated to do."

Vivian added that credit should be given where it is due, referring to the results of China's containment within the country itself.

Top image via Vivian Balakrishnan/FB, Getty Images