Opening Remarks at Hudson Institute Fireside Chat - The Evolving Indo-Pacific Order

Transcript of Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan’s Opening Remarks at Fireside Chat at the Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. on 7 June 2025

Minister: I come from a tiny city state called Singapore in the heart of Southeast Asia, 700 square kilometers in size. We have no natural resources. We are wedged between the Straits of Malacca and the Sunda Strait. We are at the tip of the Malay Peninsula. Our survival has depended on an open and rules-based international order. So we have always believed that peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific has been the foundation of our prosperity and our security. And I think the region is at an inflection point, and it is not clear which way things will go.

Patrick Cronin (Moderator): Hello everyone, I'm Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific Security Chair at the Hudson Institute. It is a great honour today for Hudson to host the Foreign Minister of Singapore, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, who has been the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Singapore for over a decade. His tremendous experience, he's a real medical doctor, so his experience is tremendous as a humanitarian, as a medical professional, but also the last 20 years in politics, in leading the Foreign Ministry of a critical partner of the United States in the Indo Pacific, in Singapore. So without further ado, I want to welcome Dr Balakrishnan to give some initial comments.

Minister: Thank you, Patrick and thank you, ladies and gentlemen. To be honest, I am bit surprised by the turnout. I am pleased but surprised. Singapore is not always front of mind when people think about United States foreign policy. But I think that is a mistake, because Singapore, notwithstanding our size, I think we have very significant strategic importance.

We are a tiny city state, surrounded by much larger neighbours. Our economy is entirely open, and we are wedged at the junction of two of the world's most critical sea lanes: the Strait of Malacca, and the Sunda Strait. About 7 trillion US dollars of trade passes through these straits. So you can understand that peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific is literally the foundation of Singapore's prosperity. And I would venture to say it is also critical for the prosperity of the United States and the world at large.

Now I would say that at this moment in time, the Indo-Pacific is at an inflection point. The region is becoming the centre of great power competition. It has always been important, but never before has the region been so explicitly the focus of great power competition and strategic rivalry. China has become much stronger. The United States, we have a new administration. We have the return of the Trump presidency. We have a very fluid situation in the region. There are many conflicts brewing: the tensions across the Taiwan Strait, the situation in the South China Sea, the North Korea challenge. And there are also new geopolitical imperatives: climate change, supply chain security, economic security. So the region is in a state of flux.

And I think from Singapore's perspective, from a small country perspective, what we want is an Indo-Pacific that is stable, prosperous, and ruled-based. We have no desire to be forced to choose between great powers. We want to preserve strategic autonomy. We want to maintain our relationships with all the major powers. We want to continue to work for peace and stability in the region. And I believe that Singapore, notwithstanding our size, has a role to play in this regard.

We are a strategic location, but we are also a symbol and a demonstration of what is possible when you have a multi-racial, multi-religious, and multi-cultural society living in peace. And I think that is a powerful message for the region. The United States has always been a supporter of a stable, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific. And I believe that that continues to be the case under the Trump administration. So I think there is much that the United States and Singapore can continue to do together to support peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Patrick Cronin: Thank you very much. It's a great pleasure to have you here, and I want to pick up on the theme of an inflection point in the Indo-Pacific. We just had the Taiwan presidential election. We're seeing China's military modernisation. We're seeing North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programme. We have Russia trying to have a foothold in the Indo-Pacific. And of course, we have all the tensions related to the South China Sea, and the Philippines trying to assert its own rights. So let me ask you, from Singapore's vantage point, what are the most urgent challenges for regional stability?

Minister: Well, I think the most urgent challenge is the fact that the region is at an inflection point, and it is not clear which way things will go. The great powers are in competition. The United States is trying to maintain its position as a leading power in the region. China is trying to increase its influence and its power. Russia is trying to establish a foothold. And there are many small countries in the region that are trying to navigate between these great powers. And the question is: will the region descend into conflict, or will it remain at peace?

I think the most urgent challenge is to maintain the stability that has underpinned the prosperity of the region. The rules-based international order has been the foundation of the region's prosperity. It has allowed small countries like Singapore to thrive. And I think the challenge is to maintain this rules-based order in the face of great power competition. But also, at the same time, to accommodate the legitimate rise of China as a great power. So the challenge is to find a balance between the maintenance of the existing order and the accommodation of China's rise. And I think that is the central challenge facing the region.

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Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, 7 June 2025

• Indo-Pacific
• Foreign Affairs
• United States
• Geopolitics