On November 29th, Singapore’s State Counsellor and former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong concluded his six day three place visit to China.
This is Lee Hsien Loong’s first official visit to China as a State Counsellor since stepping down as Singapore Prime Minister in May this year, and also his 15th visit to China as Singapore’s leader.

In the increasingly fierce game between East and West powers, especially when Donald Trump returns with “isolationism” and “trade protectionism”, Lee Hsien Loong’s visit to China clearly has his special purpose. (See also our article “Before people come to power, the ‘tariff stick’ is being swung first?!”)

The evergreen tree that has governed Singapore for 20 years.

Outstanding family and educational background.

When it comes to Lee Hsien Loong, one cannot help but mention his father, Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Lee Kuan Yew led Singapore to independence from Malaysia in 1965 and successfully built Singapore into an international city with prosperous economy and stable politics, earning Singapore the reputation of being one of the “Four Asian Tigers”.

Under the influence of his father, Lee Hsien Loong aspired to enter politics from a young age and was deeply influenced by Chinese culture for a long time.
He obtained degrees from the University of Cambridge in the UK and Harvard University in the US, possessing a dual educational background from both East and West, which laid a solid foundation for his political career in Singapore.
Creating a second takeoff for Singapore’s economy.
In 2004, Lee Hsien Loong took over as the Prime Minister of Singapore. He inherited his father’s governing philosophy and incorporated more modern innovative thinking on this basis.
During his tenure, he promoted Singapore’s economic transformation, successfully driving the country’s economy to soar and doubling its GDP in 2023 compared to 2004.
Lee Hsien Loong vigorously strengthens support for high-tech industries, attaches importance to the development of intelligent manufacturing, green economy, and digital economy, and promotes Singapore to become one of the global centers for technological innovation.
In the financial sector, Lee Hsien Loong has accelerated the integration of finance and technology, building Temasek into the world’s most successful sovereign fund and striving to create another Asian financial center besides Hong Kong.
Under the leadership of Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore’s living standards, infrastructure construction, and social welfare system are among the top in the world.

Authoritarians in partially free countries.
Since its founding, Singapore has always been a unique presence internationally.
Although Singapore has achieved great success in economic development and modernization, in the eyes of the United States and Western powers, the Lee family is still seen as the “authoritarians” of the East.
All along, the US strategic community has refused to recognize Singapore as a “free country” and instead identified it as a “partially free country”. The US government has also refused to invite Singapore to participate in the so-called “Democracy Summit”.
In addition, political attacks against Lee Hsien Loong himself have never stopped.
In recent years, Lee Hsien Yang, the second son of Lee Kuan Yew, has repeatedly disclosed to the media that his brother Lee Hsien Loong has used his power to suppress his family.
In 2017, Li Xianyang and his second sister Li Weiling jointly declared, “As brothers or national leaders, we have lost trust in Lee Hsien Loong
A ‘balancer’ who effortlessly navigates between major powers.
be able to achieve success one way or another.
Lee Hsien Loong inherited his father’s strategic vision and vision, and was extremely adept at using the “balancing technique” to navigate between major powers. This is not only a continuation of Singapore’s tradition of small country diplomacy, but also a reflection of Lee Hsien Loong’s personal leadership style.
Singapore is the only country in Southeast Asia with a predominantly Chinese population, yet it is surrounded by an Islamic powerhouse dominated by Malays. After breaking away from Malaysian control, it has long been under strategic threat from neighboring countries and is known as the ‘Israel of Southeast Asia’.
Therefore, for Singapore, seeking security guarantees is its top priority in establishing itself as a country, while the United States along the Pacific coast has become a “benevolent power”.
The strategic consideration of the United States to strengthen its military presence in the Asia Pacific region and control the strategic route of the Strait of Malacca coincides with Singapore’s urgent need for military protection.
Under the long-term protection of the United States, Singapore no longer had concerns about national security and focused on developing its economy, achieving economic takeoff after the end of the Cold War.
However, the rapid rise of China in recent decades has made Lee Hsien Loong realize soberly that although US protection is crucial, only by maintaining good relations with the increasingly powerful China can he find a place to hide in geopolitical strategy.
Therefore, while actively cooperating with the US “Indo Pacific Strategy”, he proposed to strengthen cooperation with China in the “the Belt and Road”, regional trade and other aspects to maintain Singapore’s strategic balance. (See also this article “The the Belt and Road in Southeast Asia: A New Model of Good Neighbourly Cooperation”)
Good at walking on a tightrope.
Lee Hsien Loong is well aware that Singapore must be cautious in its diplomatic operations in the face of the escalating strategic game between China and the United States. Therefore, he has repeatedly emphasized publicly that Singapore will not take sides between China and the United States.
Faced with the intense trade friction between China and the United States, Lee Hsien Loong expressed reasonable concerns about the economic and trade conflict between the two countries by adhering to the stance of free trade and multilateralism, and called on both sides to maintain rationality and restraint, avoid confrontation, and fully play the role of a “mediator”.
At the same time, Lee Hsien Loong does not avoid conflicts between the two sides, but strives to build a dialogue platform between China and the United States through mechanisms such as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), serving as a “transformer” and “overpass” between the two countries.
Overall, Lee Hsien Loong’s diplomatic strategy not only provided Singapore with a relatively independent political space in the great power game, but also yielded tangible economic benefits. (See also our article “Speak up for justice, this country’s leader is a wise person!”)
What are the considerations for visiting China in a special capacity?
At present, the global geographical pattern is in a period of intense turbulence and change. Donald Trump’s return to the White House adds many variables and uncertainties to the world situation, and faces the possibility of major adjustment.
In this context, although Lee Hsien Loong has stepped down as Prime Minister, his visit to China as a State Counsellor still carries significant influence that cannot be ignored.
His main consideration for this visit to China is to maintain strategic relations with China, deepen economic cooperation with China, and stabilize the “Eastern partner”.

Faced with the complex international situation, Lee Hsien Loong expressed a positive desire for regional stability and major power relations, hoping to continue playing the role of a “stabilizer” between China and the United States, which is in line with the interests of both countries and provides good development space for Singapore.
Although Lee Hsien Loong’s strategic considerations always prioritize safeguarding Singapore’s national interests, the friendly signals he sends and the beneficial paths he proposes contribute to the healthy development of China Singapore relations and provide solutions for peace and development in the Asia Pacific region.