05 Aug 2023
Singapore Ambassador to the United States, Lui Tuck Yew, issued a Letter to the Editor to the Washington Post in response to the article “In Singapore, loud echoes of Beijing’s positions generate anxiety”, published on 24 July 2023.
The full text of Ambassador Lui’s letter is below.
26 July 2023
Washington Post
To The Editor:
Mahtani’s and Chandradas' article wrongly suggests that Lianhe Zaobao, a Chinese language newspaper published in Singapore, echoes Beijing’s propaganda.
Singapore is a multi-racial and multi-religious country. Singapore's mainstream media, including Lianhe Zaobao, reflect our distinct societal concerns, cultural history and perspectives. They report local and global news for Singaporeans and play a crucial role in preserving the voices of our multi-cultural communities.
In my former role as Singapore’s Ambassador to China, I have often heard its readers of various nationalities affirm Lianhe Zaobao’s balanced coverage and uniquely Singaporean viewpoints. I’m therefore not surprised that Lianhe Zaobao has categorically rejected how it was wrongly portrayed in the article and clearly explained its editorial stance
(https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/singapore/story20230725-1417359).
It bears repeating that Singapore conducts its foreign policy based on our own interests. We do not pick sides but uphold consistent principles.
This position enjoys strong public support. A July 2022 poll by our Ministry of Communications and Information showed that 86% of Singaporeans felt their Government should always act in Singapore’s best interest and not take sides between the US and China. Only 4% felt Singapore should lean towards China, and 4% towards the US. This is despite Singaporeans consuming news from a wide variety of sources. In fact, American and British media are by far the main sources of international news consumed by Singaporeans.
It is misguided for American news outlets to expect Zaobao to resemble the Washington Post or for Singapore to follow either the US or China. Our media and society are unique, and offering valuable perspectives that contribute to the global dialogue.
Yours sincerely,
Lui Tuck Yew
Singapore Ambassador to the United States
Addendum: The Washington Post published an edited version of the Ambassador’s letter on 7 August 2023. It has not taken on board our position that the article has incorrectly portrayed Lianhe Zaobao’s editorial stance by removing the word “wrongly” from our original letter.
The full text of the Washington Post’s version is below.
The Aug. 4 front-page article “In Singapore, laying a foundation for influence” suggested that Lianhe Zaobao, a Chinese-language newspaper published in Singapore, echoes Beijing’s propaganda.
Singapore is a multiracial and multireligious country. Singapore’s mainstream media, including Lianhe Zaobao, reflects our distinct societal concerns, cultural history and perspectives. They report local and global news for Singaporeans and play a crucial role in preserving the voices of our multicultural communities.
In my former role as Singapore’s ambassador to China, I often heard Lianhe Zaobao’s readers of various nationalities affirm its balanced coverage and uniquely Singaporean viewpoints. I therefore am not surprised that Lianhe Zaobao has categorically rejected how it was portrayed in the article and clearly explained its editorial stance.
Singapore conducts its foreign policy based on its own interests. It does not pick sides but upholds consistent principles.
This position enjoys strong public support. A July 2022 poll by our Ministry of Communications and Information showed that 86 percent of Singaporeans felt their government should always act in Singapore’s best interest and not take sides between the United States and China. Only 4 percent said Singapore should lean toward China, and 4 percent toward the United States. Singaporeans consume news from a wide variety of sources. In fact, U.S. and British media are by far the main sources of international news consumed by Singaporeans.
It is misguided to expect Lianhe Zaobao to resemble The Post or for Singapore to follow either the United States or China. Singapore’s media and society are unique and offer valuable perspectives that contribute to the global dialogue.
Lui Tuck Yew, Washington
The writer is Singapore’s ambassador to the United States.