Mr Ang says it is fitting that the Singapore Government supports 'the peaceful rise of China as a superpower and its right to manage its internal politics'.

While I agree Singapore stands to gain with the rise of China, I do not agree that China, or any country, has a right to manage its internal politics without criticism, especially when this management results in the deaths of its citizens.

Singapore's position on Myanmar, which was cited as a good example, was a result of the outdated Asean policy of non-interference, while our current lack of criticism of the situation in Tibet can be attributed to our increased economic reliance on China.

I also cannot understand how the letter writer, who claims 'the Chinese do not have a history of imposing themselves on the rest of the world', defines imposition. His claim calls to mind China's invasion of Tibet in 1950, the Sino-Indian border conflict in 1962 and China's brief incursion into Vietnam in 1979.

Seah Su Chen (Ms)