Tuesday 16 August 2022 08:10 PM Singapore's next PM warns US and China are closer to war after Pelosi's Taiwan ... trends now
Singapore's prime minister-in-waiting warned that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan had put the U.S.-China relationship on a 'very worrying' trajectory and warned the two nations may 'sleepwalk into conflict' if neither side takes action to deescalate.
'Following the visit, tensions have gone up one notch,' Lawrence Wong said in an interview with Bloomberg. 'And that's the risk that can happen, that we're starting to see a series of decisions being taken by both countries that will lead us to more dangerous territory.'
Wong is the current deputy prime minister and finance minister. He expressed concern over potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait or the South China Sea, where China has been ramping up its military drills.
He warned that there could be 'accidents' with both sides displaying a show of force in the region, citing a 2001 incident where an American spy plane collided with a Chinese jet and was forced to make an emergency landing on China's Hainan Island. China released the crew after the U.S. apologized.
Pelosi and a congressional delegation of Democrats visited Taiwan two weeks ago despite fiery warnings from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which viewed the visit as the U.S. interfering with their territory. Beijing threatened retaliation, warning of the visit: 'Those who play with fire get burned.'
Lawrence Wong is the current deputy prime minister and finance minister. He expressed concern over potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait or the South China Sea, where China has been ramping up its military drills
Pelosi is pictured above on her Taiwan visit, walking next to Legislative Yuan Vice President Tsai Chi-chang
Pelosi and members of her congressional delegation visit with Singapore Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong
Pelosi had visited Singapore before her stop in Taiwan during an Asian tour.
The speaker was the highest-level U.S. government official to visit Taiwan in 25 years, and China considered her visit an affront by the Biden administration. President Biden's White House did not support the trip.
'As they say, no one deliberately wants to go into battle, but we sleepwalk into conflict,' Wong said. 'And that's the biggest problem and danger.'
Since Pelosi and her crew have returned, a second delegation of members of Congress led by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Conn., has traveled to Taiwan.
Joining Markey in the small delegation are Democratic Representatives Alan Lowenthal and John Garamendi of California and Don Beyer of Virginia
