Multipolarity Dialogues: George Yeo On How Singapore Navigates Between China and America

About this episode

George Yeo discusses Singapore's diplomatic strategies between China and America.

After weeks of Iran drumbeats - time for something a bit different. George Yeo is the former Foreign Minister of Singapore Educated at University of Cambridge and later at Harvard Business School, he's a former Brigadier-General in the nation's Air Force, and one of its most distinctive strategic thinkers - a man whose career tracks the rise of modern Asia itself. Yeo served in government for over two decades, holding key portfolios including Trade and Industry. As Singapore’s Foreign Minister from 2004 to 2011, he played a central role in shaping the country’s global posture. Since leaving frontline politics, Yeo has become a widely followed voice on geopolitics, civilisational identity, and the shifting balance of power in Asia. We wanted to ask him about the view from Singapore. Singaporean diplomats are renowned for their coolheaded, realist approach. They are highly skilled - and they have to be. A unique fragment of the complex geometry of South East Asia, Singapore has to balance its warm relations with the West, its unmatched status as a trading hub, and the rise of the Goliath on its doorstep - China.

People in this episode

Guest: George Yeo

Topics covered

• geopolitics
• Singapore
• China
• America
• diplomacy
• strategic thinking

Keywords

• Singapore
• George Yeo
• geopolitics
• China
• America
• diplomacy
• strategic thinking

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Cambridge, Harvard Business School

Places: Singapore, China, America, South East Asia

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