'Tricky' for S'pore to maintain friendships with countries that aren't friends with each other: SM Lee

It is "tricky" for Singapore to maintain friendships with countries that are not friends with each other, said Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

This is because every nation declares that it "will not force you to choose sides" but wants you to be on its side and "not the other's" in reality.

To navigate this challenge, SM Lee said Singapore will do its best "to take a consistent, principled position" in line with its "long-term national interests", adding:

"When we have to disagree with other countries, we will be open and honest about it so that they can still trust us, and they can understand that we are doing this because of Singapore's calculations, and not on behalf of somebody else."

SM Lee shared the above during his speech at the annual Edwin L. Godkin Lecture at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government on Nov. 12 (Massachusetts time).

The lecture is part of SM Lee's working visit to the United States, which spans nine days from Nov. 10 to 18.

@mothershipsg SM Lee: "When we have to disagree with other countries, we will be open and honest about it so that they can still trust us, and they can understand that we are doing this because of Singapore calculations and not on behalf of somebody else." #singapore #tiktoksg #sgnews #sg ♬ original sound - Mothership

Active foreign policy

Singapore's method above is one example of the "active foreign policy" it pursued for "several generations", said SM Lee.

This policy means that while Singapore acknowledges that small nations like itself "cannot determine the course of world events", it does not think of itself as having no agency.

Instead, Singapore participates "actively" in multilateral institutions, such as the United Nations, and in climate change discussions, which is an "existential issue for a low-lying tropical island".

"We make friends wherever we can, including with the major powers. We make common cause with like-minded countries.

We build up our credibility and value by being a reliable, trustworthy partner that delivers on our commitment," added SM Lee.

Importance of internal cohesion & unity

However, to ensure the effectiveness of Singapore's foreign policy, SM Lee said it is important that the policy is "based on strengths at home".

This is because "a nation will only be taken seriously internationally if it is cohesive and united internally, and its leaders and diplomats too," he contended.

Besides having skilful diplomats, Singapore must also be able to "defend and stand up for itself", including by having "soldiers who are willing to fight and die to defend the country".

This is why Singapore has "invested steadily" in its security and defence, and has built up "a modest but credible armed force based on national service", said SM Lee.

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Hope young Singaporeans can understand

However, Singapore's way of making friends with other countries is "not so easy to do or understand", especially for young Singaporeans, said SM Lee during the post-speech dialogue session.

He was responding to a question from a Singaporean audience member, who asked what perspectives do youths lack nowadays in inter-generational conversations on values and beliefs.

SM Lee began his reply by saying that young people are "much more prepared" for the new world as they grow up as digital natives.

In contrast, people in his generation are "trying [their best] not to be swamped and left behind and to keep up".

Some beliefs 'are true & remain true'

With that said, what is important for young Singaporeans to know is that "certain things which [their] parents believe, or [their] grandparents believe, are actually true and remain true", said SM Lee.

Here, SM Lee also shared some examples:

"The world has completely changed, but race, language, and religion remain fundamental, driving activistic forces which are very powerful.

That there are big countries and small countries, and Singapore is always going to be a small country.

That we have different ways of making a living, but we will always have to make a living. And our neighbours will always be bigger neighbours than us, who we will do our best to make friends with".

Singapore will continue to 'work very hard' to make friends

SM Lee recounted that when he attended panels on how Singapore can do things better, there would always be someone asking why the government doesn't work harder to make friends.

In response, SM Lee said the government will continue to "work very hard" to make friends and "continue to work harder".

However, it is also "a challenge" to get along with other countries while "being able to maintain mutually beneficial relations" with those whom Singapore has to live with and who have to live with Singapore.

To illustrate this point, SM Lee referred to a conversation he had with a Mongolian visitor, who told him that Mongolia has a law that forbids one from changing one's geographical neighbours.

In response, SM Lee said Singapore has "the same law":

"They have got Russia and China as their best friends. We have Indonesia and Malaysia as our nearest neighbours and good friends, and it is going to be like this for all time.

We are different from them. They are different from us. We can benefit from them, and they can benefit from us.

But there are also differences in perspective, which are quite deep seated, because we are just strategically in a different situation, and we have to be able to manage the issues."

Top image via Prime Minister's Office/YouTube