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Accommodate China’s rise, keep Asia open and stay grounded on immigration: SM Lee
This is an abridged excerpt from Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s Q&A in his dialogue at Chatham House on Oct 27.
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The Lujiazui financial district, as seen from a ferry on the Huangpu river in Shanghai, China.
PHOTO: AFP
Q: US President Donald Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Korea. There may be some stabilisation of the US-China relationship but the trend lines are still speaking towards substantial change. Looking five to 10 years, how different do you think Singapore’s region will be?
SM Lee: It is very difficult to say how a big power will calculate its interests. But between America and China, there are very deep issues which are not going to disappear. There are the trade issues − they are being discussed. And I hope some arrangement can be worked out. The smoke signals seem to be encouraging. And Mr Xi and Mr Trump will meet in South Korea, and something will be signed. It is not a bad thing to at least take the 100-over per cent tariffs off the agenda.
