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S’pore hopes US and China can refrain from actions that will escalate tensions: Vivian Balakrishnan

A modus vivendi refers to an arrangement that lets parties facing disagreements coexist peacefully, either indefinitely or until a final settlement is reached.

S’pore hopes US and China can refrain from actions that will escalate tensions: Vivian Balakrishnan

Is the China threat being overhyped by Washington? (File Photo)

Singapore hopes the United States and China can avoid actions that will raise tensions, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on Wednesday (Aug 3).

“Stable US-China relations are vital for regional peace and prosperity. Singapore hopes that the US and China can work out a modus vivendi, exercise self-restraint and refrain from actions that will further escalate tensions,” he said in a Facebook post.

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A modus vivendi refers to an arrangement that lets parties facing disagreements coexist peacefully, either indefinitely or until a final settlement is reached.

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Dr Balakrishnan is in the Cambodian capital with his counterparts from the region for the 55th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, where US-China ties and developments on both sides of the Taiwan Strait were also discussed.

“Asean is also watching cross-strait developments with concern,” he wrote.

The comments come as Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan and met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen as part of her visit to the region.

China has condemned the visit, calling it a “provocation” by the United States, and said it would carry out military drills around the island.

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