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