US and China are trying to make nice, says Singapore diplomat

Asian Insider Podcast

Trump and Xi are nudging the bilateral relationship from confrontation to stability, says Chan Heng Chee.

Published Sep 29, 2026, 06:00 PM

Updated Sep 30, 2026, 11:34 AM

Synopsis: Every month, The Straits Times gets its US Bureau Chief to analyse the hottest political and geopolitical talking points.

In this episode, US Bureau Chief Bhagyashree Garekar chats with Singapore’s Ambassador At-Large Chan Heng Chee about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first state visit to the United States in more than a decade.

The pomp-filled visit included a rare sight; President Donald Trump and his wife Melania waited at the tarmac to greet President Xi and Madame Peng Liyuan as they landed in Washington DC.

Critics have dismissed the September 23-25 summit as heavy on symbolism and lacking in substance.

Chan, who served as Singapore’s envoy to the US for 16 years, says building a rapport counts as a worthy outcome. “When you have a relationship, you can make a deal, solve problems,” she said.

“The Chinese will miss Trump when he’s gone,” she added, noting that the charismatic American leader, serving his last term in office, had taken risks in reaching out to a rival.

The stabilisation, which is still fragile, will benefit the region, she said. “We want to see the two great powers getting on because we do not want to be third-party collateral,” she said while spelling out the stakes for South-east Asia.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:50 What’s noteworthy about the September summit?

8:00 How far can a good rapport take them?

11:20 What could two more meetings this year produce?

15:40 Why Pax Silica and Pax Waico will not be watertight

17.30: What can South-east Asia take away from the summit?

25:30 If Democrats win midterms, will Trump be constrained?

30:10 When everyone has a view on geopolitics, does diplomacy get harder?

35:50 Are Trump and Xi explaining themselves well?

Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s articles: https://str.sg/whNo

Bhagyashree Garekar’s LinkedIn: https://str.sg/gD6E

Host: Bhagyashree Garekar ( bhagya@sph.com.sg )

Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani

Executive producer: Ernest Luis

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ST Current Affairs Podcast

亚洲内幕播客

陈恒志表示，特朗普和习近平正在推动双边关系从对抗走向稳定。

发布于2026年9月29日下午6:00

更新于2026年9月30日上午11:34

概要：每个月，《海峡时报》都会邀请其美国分社社长分析最热门的政治和地缘政治话题。

在本期节目中，美国分社社长巴格亚什里·加雷卡尔与新加坡无任所大使陈恒志就中国国家主席习近平十多年来首次对美国进行国事访问进行了交谈。

此次盛大的访问中出现了一个罕见的景象：美国总统唐纳德·特朗普和夫人梅拉尼娅在停机坪上等候迎接习近平主席和彭丽媛女士抵达华盛顿特区。

批评人士认为，9月23日至25日的峰会象征意义过重，缺乏实质内容。

曾担任新加坡驻美国大使16年的陈女士表示，建立良好关系是一项有价值的成果。“有了关系，就能达成协议，解决问题，”她说。

她补充说：“特朗普下台后，中国人会想念他的。”她指出，这位魅力四射的美国领导人在其最后一个任期内，曾冒险与竞争对手接触。

她表示，目前局势的稳定虽然仍然脆弱，但将有利于整个地区。“我们希望看到这两个大国友好相处，因为我们不想成为第三方的牺牲品，”她在阐述东南亚面临的利害关系时说道。

亮点（点击/轻触上方）：

1:50 九月份的峰会有哪些值得关注的地方？

8:00 良好的关系能让他们走多远？

11:20 今年再举行两次会议能取得什么成果？

15:40 为什么 Pax Silica 和 Pax Waico 不防水

17.30：东南亚可以从峰会中汲取哪些经验？

25:30 如果民主党赢得中期选举，特朗普会受到制约吗？

30:10 当每个人都对地缘政治有自己的看法时，外交会变得更难吗？

35:50 特朗普和习近平的解释是否到位？

阅读 Bhagyashree Garekar 的文章：https://str.sg/whNo

Bhagyashree Garekar 的 LinkedIn：https://str.sg/gD6E

主持人：Bhagyashree Garekar ( bhagya@sph.com.sg )

制作及剪辑：法伊扎·萨尼

执行制片人：欧内斯特·路易斯

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