RSIS must help Singapore stay one step ahead in a more unpredictable world: Chan Chun Sing

Published Sep 22, 2026, 04:04 PM

Updated Sep 22, 2026, 04:04 PM

Singapore must deeply understand the worldviews and ambitions of major powers like the US and China, and its neighbours Malaysia and Indonesia, to remain relevant, said Chan Chun Sing.

The RSIS think-tank plays a vital role in providing Singapore with candid, forward-looking analysis and fostering trusted dialogue between competing powers.

Singapore aims to be an open, trusted platform for cooperation, avoiding binary choices in geopolitics and supporting honest dialogue to resolve conflicts when parties are willing, said Chan.

SINGAPORE - For Singapore to understand the geopolitical forces that are reshaping the world, it must have a deep, granular and human understanding of the worldviews, insecurities and ambitions of leaders in Beijing and Washington.

The city-state must also have that same depth of understanding of the forces shaping the societies of its closest neighbours Malaysia and Indonesia, and not assume that these relationships can be managed on autopilot, said Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing.

To this end, the job of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) to provide policymakers here with deep, candid and forward-looking analysis is never done, Chan said at a lecture to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the graduate school and think-tank.

At the event at the PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay on Sept 22, Chan recounted how RSIS’ predecessor, the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS), was started in 1996 so that Singapore would have its own strategic voice and not be blindsided by external developments.

This imperative has only intensified 30 years on, with the world changing much more quickly and in more unpredictable ways, noted Chan, who pointed to how US-China rivalry now cuts across trade, technology, supply chains, and ideology.

Singapore has to date been relevant to the US and China because of its understanding of the issues they face, and its ability to offer a perspective as a honest and trusted third party. But this relevance is never guaranteed and has to be earned continuously, he added.

He cited the RSIS Trilateral Exchange as a good example of how the Republic has created trusted spaces where American and Chinese academics and officials could come together to discuss their differences frankly, and in so doing provide a glimpse of their inner thinking. The seventh edition of the annual dialogue concluded on August 27.

“As the perspectives and needs of the US and China shift, we must constantly challenge ourselves to come up with new propositions that can continue to entrench our relevance,” he said. “We cannot be the proverbial one-trick pony.”

Addressing a question on how Singapore intends to avoid choosing sides when geostrategic competition is impacting more sectors of the economy, Chan said he was not a fan of binary thinking, and that Singapore and RSIS’ job is to always think of another way, starting with the Republic’s national interests.

“Our job is to make sure that Singapore is an open, trusted, inclusive platform for other people to come and work together,” he said. “We always say that you can be competitors, you can even be rivals, but you need not be enemies.”

The fact that two countries are not the same should mean there are more opportunities to work together and complement each other, but that is provided there is a deep sense of trust on both sides, he added.

“If you don’t have a deep sense of trust (and) if you cannot set aside your differences and manage them, then you’ll never get anything done.”

Chan was also asked about the Iran war, and whether the city-state can play a role in resolving the Middle East conflict.

He replied that Singapore is always willing to be a facilitator for people willing to talk to each other honestly - whatever region they are from - but the starting point must be that parties want to come together to work towards something better.

However, if either side does not see that as something they are prepared to do, then realistically it is impossible for this to be achieved, he added.

“Then you have to wait for the correct time,” said Chan. “Either that, or to let the next generation with greater wisdom, as they say, come to this point.”

In his lecture, Chan said he shared IDSS founding director S R Nathan’s vision that the think-tank should be the go-to place for anyone in the region who wants to deeply understand Southeast Asia’s deep dynamics, especially Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

But this requires a lot of hard work: of history, political culture, and economic structure, to the relationships between the different states and institutions within each of these polities.

It also requires constant outreach to stakeholders beyond Singapore to build a network of people and institutions that see RSIS as a trusted place to make sense of the world together, he added.

“That has been the tall order we set for ourselves since 1996,” he said.

In essence, the think-tank’s mission is to help Singapore stay one step ahead, using these deep connections that it has assiduously built up, Chan added.

“In my view, RSIS must always aspire to be the institution that builds and sustains this capability for Singapore,” he said. “This is the reason – and will continue to be the reason – why we will support RSIS’s growth and development.”

Defence and military

发布于 2026 年 9 月 22 日下午 4:04

更新于2026年9月22日下午4:04

陈振声表示，新加坡必须深入了解美国、中国等大国以及邻国马来西亚、印度尼西亚的世界观和抱负，才能保持其重要性。

RSIS智库在为新加坡提供坦诚、前瞻性的分析以及促进竞争大国之间建立信任对话方面发挥着至关重要的作用。

陈先生表示，新加坡的目标是成为一个开放、值得信赖的合作平台，避免在地缘政治中做出非此即彼的选择，并支持各方在有意愿的情况下通过真诚对话解决冲突。

新加坡——新加坡要想了解正在重塑世界的地缘政治力量，就必须对北京和华盛顿领导人的世界观、不安全感和抱负有深刻、细致和人性化的理解。

国防部长陈振声表示，新加坡这个城邦国家也必须对塑造其最亲密邻国马来西亚和印度尼西亚社会的各种力量有同样的深刻理解，而不能想当然地认为这些关系可以自动管理。

陈先生在纪念拉惹勒南国际研究院（RSIS）成立30周年的讲座上表示，为此，RSIS为这里的政策制定者提供深入、坦诚和具有前瞻性的分析的工作永无止境。

9 月 22 日，在滨海湾宾乐雅酒店举行的活动上，陈先生回顾了 RSIS 的前身——国防与战略研究所 (IDSS) 的成立历程。该研究所于 1996 年成立，旨在让新加坡拥有自己的战略声音，不被外部发展所蒙蔽。

陈指出，30 年过去了，这种紧迫性有增无减，因为世界变化得更快、更难以预测。他指出，美中竞争如今已经渗透到贸易、技术、供应链和意识形态等各个领域。

新加坡之所以对美国和中国保持重要性，是因为它了解两国面临的问题，并且能够以诚实可信的第三方身份提供视角。但他补充说，这种重要性并非理所当然，需要持续努力才能保持。

他以拉美国际研究学院三方交流为例，说明美国如何创建互信空间，让中美学者和官员能够齐聚一堂，坦诚地讨论分歧，从而展现彼此的思考方式。第七届年度对话于8月27日闭幕。

他说：“随着中美两国观点和需求的变化，我们必须不断挑战自我，提出新的方案，以巩固我们的重要性。我们不能只会一招鲜。”

针对新加坡如何在地理战略竞争影响更多经济领域的情况下避免选边站队的问题，陈先生表示，他不赞成非此即彼的思维方式，新加坡和拉曼国际研究院的职责是始终思考其他方法，首先要考虑共和国的国家利益。

他说：“我们的职责是确保新加坡成为一个开放、值得信赖、包容的平台，让其他人能够前来合作。我们常说，你们可以是竞争对手，甚至是敌对双方，但不必成为敌人。”

他补充说，两个国家不一样，这意味着它们有更多合作和互补的机会，但这前提是双方都有深厚的信任感。

“如果你没有深厚的信任感，如果你不能放下分歧并妥善处理分歧，那么你永远也做不成任何事。”

陈还被问及伊朗战争，以及这个城邦国家能否在解决中东冲突中发挥作用。

他回应说，新加坡始终愿意为愿意坦诚交流的人们提供便利——无论他们来自哪个地区——但前提是各方必须愿意走到一起，共同努力，创造更美好的未来。

但他补充说，如果任何一方都不认为这是他们愿意做的事情，那么实际上这是不可能的。

“那就只能等待合适的时机了，”陈说。“要么就等着，或者像他们说的，让更有智慧的下一代来思考这个问题。”

陈先生在演讲中表示，他与IDSS创始主任SR Nathan的愿景一致，即该智库应该成为该地区任何想要深入了解东南亚深层动态（尤其是新加坡、马来西亚和印度尼西亚）的人的首选之地。

但这需要付出很多努力：研究历史、政治文化和经济结构，以及每个政治实体内部不同国家和机构之间的关系。

他还补充说，还需要不断与新加坡以外的利益相关者进行沟通，以建立一个由个人和机构组成的网络，让他们将 RSIS 视为一个值得信赖的地方，共同理解世界。

“自 1996 年以来，这一直是我们为自己设定的艰巨目标，”他说。

陈先生补充说，从本质上讲，该智库的使命是利用其孜孜不倦建立的深厚关系，帮助新加坡保持领先地位。

“在我看来，拉曼国际研究院必须始终致力于成为新加坡构建和维持这种能力的机构，”他说道。“这正是我们支持拉曼国际研究院发展壮大的原因，而且未来也将继续如此。”

国防和军事