Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, speaking during the Committee of Supply debate said that Singapore’s foreign policy principles remain as salient today as they were at independence. 

Touching on Singapore’s relations with other countries, Dr Balakrishnan said that Singapore has to always be a credible and consistent partner, honest broker and deal fairly and openly with all parties. “The key to this is our neutrality. We cannot be bought, nor can we be bullied,” he reiterated.

Meanwhile, Singapore will continue to strengthen the resilience and unity of its citizens, and at the same time build a deeper appreciation of Singapore’s foreign policy principles. 

He added it is important for the country to continue to promote a rules-based international order which is important to small states such as Singapore. 

With the global multilateral rules-based trading system under serious threat due to rising protectionism and nationalism, Dr Balakrishnan stressed that it is important to uphold the system as it is Singapore’s lifeblood.

Image from Dr Vivian Balakrishnan’s Facebook