SINGAPORE, Oct 9 — Singapore will not allow itself to be used as a proxy or bargaining chip in the rivalry between the United States and China, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has said, warning that forcing the city-state to choose sides could produce an answer neither superpower would welcome.

Balakrishnan said Singapore must preserve its independence and maintain the trust of both Washington and Beijing, even as tensions between the two powers make navigating their relationship increasingly difficult.

Speaking at the Milken Institute Asia Summit on Wednesday, he said Singapore would continue to resist pressure to align itself with either country for as long as possible, according to Singapore news portal Mothership.

“As far as we can do so, we will refuse to choose, because the moment you choose, you have lost strategic options and strategic latitude,” he said.

However, he cautioned that simply refusing to take sides was not enough.

“If Singapore is forced to choose, either one of you, you may not like the final answer,” he said.

He added: “I will refuse to choose, and whilst I will be useful to you, I will not be made use of.”

Balakrishnan said Singapore’s challenge was to maintain its standing as a trusted partner to both powers without becoming subordinate to either.

“The challenge for us is to maintain trust with both the United States and China, not as a vassal state or a tributary state, but as a small but hopefully relevant and useful partner, who is not to be made use of.”

His remarks came during a dialogue moderated by Milken Institute chief executive Richard Ditizio at the Four Seasons Hotel in Singapore on October 7.

Balakrishnan described the relationship between Washington and Beijing as a particularly sensitive and existential issue for Singapore, given the importance of both countries to the city-state.

He pointed out that Singapore receives more than half of all US foreign direct investment in South-east Asia, underscoring Washington’s importance as a source of capital, technology and access to markets.

“So, is America important to Singapore as a source of FDI, a source of technology, and as an ultimate market? Yes, absolutely,” he said.

At the same time, Singapore’s ties with China run deep, with 74 per cent of its population having Chinese ancestry and sharing historical, linguistic and cultural connections with the country.

Those links, however, did not mean Singapore was obliged to agree with Beijing, he said, stressing the city-state’s identity as a multiracial and multilingual South-east Asian nation.

Balakrishnan said Singapore must instead maintain a clear, consistent and principled foreign policy in its dealings with both powers.

Such an approach, he argued, was essential to reassuring Washington and Beijing that Singapore was not acting on behalf of either side.

He stressed that Singapore’s priority was not simply to maintain good relations with both countries, but to preserve the strategic independence needed to make decisions in its own interests.

That meant remaining a useful and reliable partner to both powers while drawing a firm line against being drawn into their rivalry.