Speaking at the Securities Investors Association (Singapore) Corporate Governance Conference 2023 on Nov 6, Mahbubani says relations between the US and China will get worse. “I think it’s important on the US-China front to be ready for things to get more difficult.”
The breakdown of geopolitical trust between the US and China is the biggest challenge that Singapore companies will face over the next decade, but Asean offers the best protection against this hostile environment, says Prof Kishore Mahbubani.
There are lots of Singapore companies that do business in the US and in China, says Mahbubani, who previously served as Singapore’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) and President of the UN Security Council. “In the past, it was an easy path to navigate, because there were no fundamental differences. But as the differences between the US and China accentuate, and as we try to do business with both, you’re going to get caught in the crossfire.”
