Weekend Long Read: Why China Needs Charm in a Multipolar World

George Yeo, Singapore’s former foreign minister, gave a talk called China in a Multipolar World to students of the Master in Public Administration and Management program taught in Chinese at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy on Nov. 3. He spoke about time and patience needed for a multipolar superstructure to emerge, and for earlier dominant players such as the U.S. to adjust to the new order. In the meantime, it is in China’s interest to master the art of charm, knowing when to go hard and soft in its relations with the U.S. and Europe, its neighbors India and Japan, and on issues such as the South China Sea and Taiwan. This is an edited transcript of his speech and excerpts from the Q&A session. The article was firstly published on Think China.