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

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 

Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz 

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

Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani

Executive producer: Ernest Luis

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