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With rising tensions between U.S. and China, it can be difficult for people on both sides to find common ground.
However, a photo of the U.S. and Chinese ambassadors to Singapore posted on Ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh's Facebook on Thursday (Apr. 27) shows that a civil relationship between people of the two countries is not impossible.
U.S. Ambassador Jonathan Kaplan with Chinese Ambassador Sun Haiyan. Photo taken by Tommy Koh/Facebook.
Discussion hosted by Norwegian Ambassador
The photo was taken during a lunch hosted by the Norwegian Ambassador to Singapore, Eivind Homme.
Homme hosted 20 guests at his house for lunch on Apr. 27, Koh said in a separate Facebook post.
The lunch was arranged with the purpose of getting attendees to discuss the importance of "the oceans, shipping, and the law of the sea" and was moderated by the special advisor for the ocean of the UN Global Compact, Sturla Henriksen.
Koh was one of the speakers at the event, alongside James Crabtree, the Asia Director of think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Present at the luncheon were also people from the shipping industry, Singapore's Ambassador for Oceans and Law of the Sea Issues Rena Lee, Special Advisor on Oceans to the United Nations Global Compact Sturla Henriksen, and of course-- the U.S. Ambassador to Singapore Jonathan Kaplan and China's Ambassador to Singapore Sun Haiyan.
Rebuild trust
Tommy Koh shared that he took the photo of the two ambassadors after concluding his speech by urging U.S. and China to "talk to each other" and "work together where their interests coincide and to rebuild trust in each other".
In the photo, Kaplan can be seen displaying a finger heart towards the camera while Sun was smiling brightly next to him.
This is not the first time Kaplan and Sun have taken a photo together.
On Dec. 22 last year, Kaplan had hosted Sun to lunch at his residence, U.S. Embassy Singapore shared in a Facebook post.
"A pleasure to host Ambassador Sun (and DCM Zhang) for lunch," he wrote in an Instagram caption.
"Enjoyed our exchange of views. So important to communicate and learn to understand each other."
In the photo he posted on Instagram, both ambassadors created the finger heart.
Singapore a good neutral ground
The meeting of the ambassadors happened to take place on the anniversary of another bridge-building event.
On Apr. 27, 1993, Singapore hosted a meeting between China and Taiwan in 1993, allowing the president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Wang Daohan and the chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation Koo Chen Fu to meet.
Both Wang and Fu were confidant and adviser to the then-Chinese president and then Taiwanese president respectively.
As neither party wanted to travel to the other's side of the Taiwan Strait, Singapore was chosen as a meeting location acceptable to both, the Straits Times reported.
This would be repeated in 2015, when Singapore hosted the Ma-Xi meeting, where Chinese President Xi Jinping met with then-Taiwanese president Ma Ying Jeou.
The meeting was significant as it was the first time in almost seven decades that top leaders from China and Taiwan met with each other.
In 2018, we also hosted the historic Trump-Kim summit between the leaders of North Korea and the U.S.
Singapore was chosen as both U.S. and DPRK viewed Singapore as a "serious and reliable partner", friendly and straight with all parties, and has the infrastructure and capability to provide a "safe and secure environment," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his 2018 National Day Rally speech.
While Singapore seeks to maintain good relations with other countries, it is not reticent about sharing its own views, even if the other party may disagree.
Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sim Ann said in a recent Parliamentary speech that Singapore's foreign policy is based on principles for our own benefit and survival, and not merely about maintaining a "balancing act" between world powers.
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Top image taken by Tommy Koh/Facebook.