Event Recap

New Atlanticist

Jul 28, 2020

Singapore’s prime minister has a message for the US: Don’t choose China confrontation or Asia withdrawal

By David A. Wemer

Lee Hsien Loong, the prime minister of Singapore, worries that Washington’s increasingly tense relationship with Beijing and domestic pressures to reduce its commitments abroad will force US policymakers to choose either a path of “colliding with China” or “deciding that you have no stake in the region and leave us to our own defenses.”

China Coronavirus

In this edition of Atlantic Council Front Page (#ACFrontPage), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of the Republic of Singapore joined a conversation with master interviewer David Rubenstein, co-founder and co-executive chairman of the Carlyle Group.

Prime Minister Lee discussed topics ranging from Singapore’s response to COVID-19 to the importance of strengthening international cooperation and keeping global chains open. Prime Minister Lee also discussed the regional response to US-China tensions, featured in his Foreign Affairs essay, “The Endangered Asian Century.”

The Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security was pleased to present this live online conversation on Tuesday, July 28, 2020.

Follow Prime Minister Lee on Twitter at @LeeHsienLoong and the Singapore Embassy in Washington DC at @SingaporeEmbDC.

An #ACFrontPage Event

Atlantic Council Front Page is our premier live ideas platform for global leaders to discuss the defining challenges of our time. #ACFrontPage is a high-level event series featuring top newsmakers across multiple digital platforms. Harnessing the convening power and expertise of the Council’s sixteen programs and centers, #ACFrontPage leverages the Council’s capabilities in social media, press, and digital outreach to spotlight the world’s most prominent leaders and the most compelling ideas across sectors and engage new audiences eager for nonpartisan and constructive solutions to current global challenges. This widely promoted program features the Council’s most important guests and content serving as the highlight of our programming.

Opening remarks by

Frederick Kempe
President and CEO
Atlantic Council

Featuring

H.E. Lee Hsien Loong
Prime Minister of Singapore

Moderated by

David M. Rubenstein
Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chairman
The Carlyle Group

Closing remarks by

Dr. Miyeon Oh
Director and Senior Fellow, Asia Security Initiative,
Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security
Atlantic Council

Staff

Frederick Kempe

President and CEO

Europe & Eurasia German

Staff

Miyeon Oh

Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Indo-Pacific Economy & Business