Former Singapore Diplomat: U.S. Containment Of China Will Not Work

Asia Will Resist U.S. Efforts To Contain China, Says Singapore Diplomat -- Washington Times

Asian nations will resist any U.S. attempts to block the rise of China, as Washington pursues a new strategy in the Asia-Pacific region, according to Singapore’s former ambassador in Washington.

“I think if the United States re-engages Asia to contain China it won’t work because countries in Asia won’t sign on to containment,” Chan Heng Chee said in a phone interview from Singapore.

“We don’t want another Cold War. The United States should not ask Asian countries to choose. You may not like the results if you ask countries to choose.”

Ms. Chan returned to Singapore in July after 16 years as Singapore’s ambassador to the U.S., a tenure that made her the second-longest-serving foreign envoy in Washington after Djibouti Ambassador Roble Olhaye. She was replaced by Ambassador Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, who previously served as Singapore’s envoy in Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia.

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My Comment: I think the natural inclination among Asian states is to stay away from tensions that may escalate into armed conflict .... but .... China is making a good effort to "piss-off" it`s neighbors over territorial claims, and they are driving many of these nations to embrace America`s "undeclared containment" policy.