Small states must have say as world shapes new compact with tech giants: Vivian Balakrishnan

Dr Balakrishnan called for a compact between governments, tech firms and the wider international community to "develop common norms and guardrails so that we can accelerate the pace of technology and reap its benefits, but also deal with the risks".

Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan speaking at the high-level plenary session on diplomacy at the Singapore International Cyber Week on Oct 15, 2026. (Image: Facebook/Vivian Balakrishnan)

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SINGAPORE: Small states and developing countries must have a say in the rules and guardrails governing technologies, rather than a handful of powerful nations and technology giants having a monopoly of it, said Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Thursday (Oct 15).

Dr Balakrishnan also called for a new compact between governments, technology companies and the wider international community in his address to a high-level plenary session on diplomacy at Singapore International Cyber Week.

"We need a shared, unvarnished, bald assessment of the risks. We need to develop common norms and guardrails so that we can accelerate the pace of technology and reap its benefits, but also deal with the risks," he said.

Dr Balakrishnan also said diplomacy can no longer be conducted solely between nation-states.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less "Today, some of the most consequential actors in our international system are not nation-states. In fact, some of them are the big technology titans," he said. He noted how some of these companies are "worth more than the majority of member states of the UN (United Nations)". Beyond money, these companies control critical technologies on which modern life depends. They control digital platforms and the pace and the frontier of artificial intelligence (AI). "The decisions made in the boardrooms or by the CEOs of these companies – on access, on deployment, on safeguards – have consequences far beyond national borders," Dr Balakrishnan said. He drew a historical parallel to the situation with the British and Dutch East India companies, who in their era had accumulated enormous economic and political power through trading. "These companies could raise armies, navies, negotiate treaties, even conquer and administer territories. And in case you have forgotten, the British East India Company played a central role in the colonisation of India – even the founding of Singapore as a free port," he said. "Now, I’m not saying that today's internet titans are the same – I hope they’re not the same," he said. But he said it is worth remembering that private companies now "possess capabilities and resources that exceed that of most nation-states".

"Today, some of the most consequential actors in our international system are not nation-states. In fact, some of them are the big technology titans," he said.

He noted how some of these companies are "worth more than the majority of member states of the UN (United Nations)".

Beyond money, these companies control critical technologies on which modern life depends. They control digital platforms and the pace and the frontier of artificial intelligence (AI).

"The decisions made in the boardrooms or by the CEOs of these companies – on access, on deployment, on safeguards – have consequences far beyond national borders," Dr Balakrishnan said.

He drew a historical parallel to the situation with the British and Dutch East India companies, who in their era had accumulated enormous economic and political power through trading.

"These companies could raise armies, navies, negotiate treaties, even conquer and administer territories. And in case you have forgotten, the British East India Company played a central role in the colonisation of India – even the founding of Singapore as a free port," he said.

"Now, I’m not saying that today's internet titans are the same – I hope they’re not the same," he said.

But he said it is worth remembering that private companies now "possess capabilities and resources that exceed that of most nation-states".

Dr Balakrishnan said that governments still remain ultimately responsible for national security, for international law, and for the decisions on the use of force.

"But increasingly, the technologies that shape these decisions – these dilemmas – are in fact developed and controlled by private companies," he said.

This is especially important for frontier AI, he added, where a small number of companies are developing capabilities with far-reaching impacts on international security.

Dr Balakrishnan said that "most of us – in fact, even the superpowers – will not have a monopoly on the complete technology stack".

"There will always be some level of interdependence."

"But there are still many parts of the world which have not even caught up with the last industrial revolution, and they need – all of us need – to get to the frontiers of the next digital AI revolution," he said.

"Otherwise, the digital divide will widen, the disparity in economies and military power will also become more entrenched, and we will set ourselves up for a new stage of neo-colonisation.

He also said that while not all countries will be at the frontier of developing new technology, they can aspire to be at the forefront of deploying these effectively to improve lives and to transform economies.

Dr Balakrishnan also said that for countries to participate meaningfully, they need capabilities, and he listed three: Support and access to foundational research and technologies, talent and infrastructure.

All countries need secure and resilient digital systems, reliable connectivity, and access to computing resources, he said.

"But not every country – even a superpower – can build this entire stack on its own.

"And that’s why we continue to believe that international capacity-building is still essential," Dr Balakrishnan said.

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巴拉克里希南博士呼吁各国政府、科技公司和更广泛的国际社会达成协议，“制定共同规范和保障措施，以便我们能够加快技术发展步伐并从中获益，同时也能应对风险”。

2026年10月15日，外交部长维文·巴拉克里希南在新加坡国际网络周高级别外交全体会议上发表讲话。（图片：Facebook/Vivian Balakrishnan）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：外交部长维文·巴拉克里希南周四（10月15日）表示，小国和发展中国家必须在技术规则和保障措施方面拥有发言权，而不是由少数几个强大的国家和科技巨头垄断。

巴拉克里希南博士在新加坡国际网络周高级别外交全体会议上发表讲话时，也呼吁各国政府、科技公司和更广泛的国际社会之间建立新的契约。

他说：“我们需要对风险进行坦诚、客观、公正的评估。我们需要制定共同的规范和保障措施，以便加快技术发展步伐并从中获益，同时也能应对风险。”

巴拉克里希南博士还表示，外交不能再仅仅在民族国家之间进行。

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小谜题，脑力挑战 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少 “如今，我们国际体系中一些最具影响力的行为体并非民族国家。事实上，其中一些是大型科技巨头，”他说道。他指出，其中一些公司的“市值超过了联合国大多数成员国”。除了金钱之外，这些公司还控制着现代生活赖以生存的关键技术。它们控制着数字平台以及人工智能（AI）的发展速度和前沿领域。“这些公司董事会或首席执行官们做出的关于准入、部署和保障措施的决策，其影响远远超出国界，”巴拉克里希南博士说道。他将这种情况与英国和荷兰东印度公司的历史进行了类比，这些公司在当时通过贸易积累了巨大的经济和政治权力。 “这些公司可以组建军队、海军，谈判条约，甚至征服和统治领土。如果你忘了，英国东印度公司在印度的殖民化进程中扮演了核心角色——甚至包括新加坡自由港的建立，”他说道。“当然，我并不是说今天的互联网巨头也一样——我希望它们不一样，”他补充道。但他表示，值得注意的是，如今的私营公司“拥有的能力和资源已经超过了大多数民族国家”。

“如今，我们国际体系中一些最具影响力的行为体并非民族国家。事实上，其中一些是大型科技巨头，”他说道。

他指出，其中一些公司的“市值超过了联合国大多数成员国的市值”。

除了资金之外，这些公司还控制着现代生活赖以生存的关键技术。它们控制着数字平台以及人工智能（AI）的发展速度和前沿领域。

巴拉克里希南博士说：“这些公司董事会或首席执行官们在准入、部署、保障措施等方面做出的决定，其影响远远超出国界。”

他将这种情况与英国和荷兰东印度公司的历史情况进行了类比，这两个公司在当时通过贸易积累了巨大的经济和政治权力。

“这些公司可以组建军队、海军，谈判条约，甚至征服和统治领土。而且，如果你忘了的话，英国东印度公司在印度的殖民化过程中扮演了核心角色——甚至包括新加坡自由港的建立，”他说。

“我并不是说今天的互联网巨头和以前一样——我希望他们不一样，”他说。

但他表示，值得注意的是，私营公司现在“拥有的能力和资源超过了大多数民族国家”。

巴拉克里希南博士表示，各国政府仍然对国家安全、国际法以及使用武力的决定负有最终责任。

“但是，越来越多地，影响这些决策——这些困境——的技术，实际上是由私营公司开发和控制的，”他说。

他补充说，这一点对于前沿人工智能尤其重要，因为少数公司正在开发对国际安全产生深远影响的能力。

巴拉克里希南博士表示，“我们大多数人——事实上，甚至包括超级大国——都不会垄断完整的技术栈”。

“相互依存的关系总会存在一定程度。”

“但是世界上仍有很多地方甚至还没有赶上上次工业革命的步伐，他们需要——我们所有人都需要——迈向下一次数字人工智能革命的前沿，”他说。

“否则，数字鸿沟将会扩大，经济和军事实力的差距也会更加根深蒂固，我们将为新殖民主义的新阶段做好准备。”

他还表示，虽然并非所有国家都能走在开发新技术的前沿，但它们可以努力走在有效运用这些技术改善生活和变革经济的前沿。

巴拉克里希南博士还表示，各国要想有意义地参与，就需要具备相应的能力，他列举了三点：支持和获得基础研究和技术、人才和基础设施。

他表示，所有国家都需要安全可靠的数字系统、可靠的连接以及计算资源。

“但是，并非每个国家——即使是超级大国——都能独立构建整个体系。”

“正因如此，我们仍然认为国际能力建设至关重要，”巴拉克里希南博士说。

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