Stay Useful, Stay Relevant: Singapore's Institutional Diplomacy toward China's Belt and Road Initiative

Abstract:Since China unveiled the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, few Southeast Asian countries have responded as potently as Singapore. Singapore's distinctive approach toward China is marked by carving out institutional niches within the broad blueprint of the BRI. This strategy is largely in line with the city-state's longstanding foreign policy tradition of making itself useful and relevant from the perspective of major powers. After elaborating on the historical evolution of Sino-Singaporean economic cooperation, I focus on three prominent manifestations of Singapore's institutional diplomacy toward the BRI and Chinese capital more generally, i.e., the establishment of "Infrastructure Asia", forging institutionalized legal partnership deputed to resolve disputes arising from BRI projects, and building a structured management approach to advance connectivity projects in Chongqing. Since Singapore opts for a soft and forward engagement strategy, the BRI has not caused organized local opposition.