What Singaporeans Think Of China | Street Interview 

I don't think it's so much Singaporeans favouring China or US more, I feel it's more of a pragmatic balanced view. Singaporeans understand most Western media are extremely biased in their reporting towards China, but at the same time, don't agree blindly with some of China government's policies

Should have interviewed some non-chinese singaporeans. Singapore may be a Chinese majority but it is still very much multi-racial which is different from other countries in asia

This was really interesting, thank you! Also our favorite Interviewer is here :) As someone who is really interested in chinese culture, i often feel discouraged because it sometimes seems like nobody can see different perspectives and elements anymore...but this is a very objective way of thinking and it made me feel more at ease about my interest for some reason.

Everyone answered in a very mature, level-headed, and intelligent manner. Props, S'pore! I was very impressed. However, interviewing non-Chinese Singaporeans was also needed.

I'm impressed with the intelligence and honesty of the respondents. Very thoughtful answers. 👍

Good job! Always like Asian Boss reporting real life perception from ordinary people on the street… these are just a few samples and probably doesn't reflect the true majority's view, but it does give a genuine glimpse on the people's perception of others in general!

Important points of view. Definitely a needed perspective. Thank you.

Very enlightening. Thank you!

Singapore has a military training center in Taiwan since 1975. Many Singaporean men have been to Taiwan for their military training. China has a great deal of cultural (TV shows, music, drama etc.) and business ties with Singapore. That might explain the split views.

I like how a guy responded in 11:57. If Singapore is really big in land mass would have more independent than now. My personal view.

These were some very smart and thoughtful anwsers. Very good!

I've learned a lot from the interviews in the video, they are really educated and well explained!

The guy speaking from 7:28 about Singapore's independence, obviously doesn't know his history lessons in school. Singapore didn't want to be independent in 1965. Singapore was expelled from Malaysia by then PM Tunku Abdul Rahman. Singapore had nothing and went through a lot of hardships in the initial stage of independence trying very hard to survive. Added to that the British military packed up and left Singapore in 1967 without bothering to help in any way.

Please do a What (other countries) think of Singapore!! Id love to hear what they think.

I agree with @J.G. it is refreshing to hear intelligent and honest responses to the questions asked. This was a very good interview. Thanks Asian Boss!

Fantastic and very insightful interviews. They should all just get along and peace is always a beautiful thing.

Responsible media results in rational and objective views in the general public. I can total see this dynamic from this video. Respect

Thank you for this segment. I think it’s quite a fair picture. If interviews with non-ethnic-Chinese Singaporeans were included it’ll be even better.

Love this content

Very interesting interview. Thanks Asian boss

I'm a Singaporean..hear me out. When I speak with my fellow colleagues consisting of Singaporean Chinese, Singaporean of other races, and foreigners, most people don't favour either country. We adopt a pragmatic approach to working with both big countries on areas that are aligned with our vision and values. If US can't trade that services, goods and resources, we go to China. If China can't trade that, we go to US. If both countries can provide the services, goods and resources, we diversity our portfolio. It always prudent not to put all eggs in one basket. Though the majority of Singaporeans are Chinese, the local Chinese lead a very different lifestyle from the Chinese in China. We have different ideology, way of life and culture from them. So it definitely doesn't make Singaporean Chinese in general more favourful of China. If you really want to know how a Singaporean Chinese think, speak to a Singaporean Chinese. If you want to know how Singaporean Malay think, speak to a Singaporean Malay. All other voices here in this comment section don't matter if they are not Singaporeans to begin with as they wouldn't know what we think and feel. But again, each person you speak to can only represent themselves just as my comment here. I believe our own Singaporean values, identity, and unique culture will guide us well in decisions when dealing with both countries. We don't favour 'relationship' here as we honour hardwork and meritocracy. And that's why the China way of using 'relationship' in politics and business don't work here. We don't favour 'a mere literal interpretation of liberalism and freedom of speech' too as we live, study, work and play with people of different races and religions, and we have to be sensitive towards others' feelings too. And that's the issue we see in US where hate speech becomes uncontrollable. Thus, given our uniqueness, there is no siding with either countries as both parties are crucial to our survival. Taiwan independence issue wise, personally for me, I believe to keep status quo. Don't ruffle the feather. No one wants to see war. And I still hope to travel to Taiwan in future to enjoy their unique culture and people.

Thank you Asian Boss, videos like what this country think of that country are topics people are curious to know. It helps us understand the global situations in Earth. Singapore is a nice country, my family have been there long time ago. They loved it. I will go to Singapore in future. 真的很感謝這個頻道！像某某國家對於別的國家的看法一直是很多人想去觀看去了解的題材！這讓我們更了解國際情勢的發展！對於新加坡呢，這是我很想去的一個國家，覺得這地方很棒！我親戚很久前去過，他們很愛新加坡呢！✈️.

Interesting. Appreciate it

All of them answered the questions so well! Much respect. Looks like they are no strangers to this kind of discussions. 2:08 - 2:22 Well said by this young man.

Well done interviews! Singaporeans are quite objective and pragmatic about the Chinese influence in Singapore, the media coverage regarding China and the international relations to US and China. All interviewers revealed Singaporeans' ability to interpret and analyze the information they received and think logically in realistic standpoint. Singapore will continue to thrive for sure.

I'm American-Born whom is mostly black but has Asian roots as my great grandmother whom was from Oklahoma was part Chinese from what my mother told me and couldn't agree more with what all the interviewers have said in this topic! I also agree 101% on the older Singaporean-Chinese man @ 9:30 saying that his roots of origin comes from Singapore as he's born in the country but still has roots from Mainland China from his grandparents which I can relate as well. I've always been curious of the Chinese culture myself when it comes to Buddhism as I feel more opened yet comfortable to practice it by being caring of nature, how there are downsides in life that will have to balance out on its own and even respecting people that are much older than me as that's how I was raised. It makes me aware of how someone that's Chinese lives based off their own culture that I don't discriminate as I know how it feels by being discriminated for my skin pigment and even the way I speak as well even though I'm high-functioning autistic. My soul feels old in the inside as I don't really relate to many people my age by following social media trends to dressing up a certain way but still seen as youthful on the outside by people regardless of the mental health issues I struggle on a daily basis. What the older man & man in the gray-black shirt mentioned of a balance between the China & U.S. is so agreeable to me as there has to be both balances when it comes to Singapore having their food resources from China as they're much closer to export while for the U.S. it would be for the military when it comes to fighter planes and other self-defense materials overseas @ 12:37 that he has mentioned as well. Practically, there has to be a *Yin-Yang* balance between Singapore & the U.S. to follow so that Singapore can still stay ties with China as the Singaporeans originated their independence from the British but still has Chinese roots either way. ☯︎ I really enjoyed the people you interview Asian Boss as it really spreads the message on how opened the Chinese are in other countries outside China that the Chinese media normally doesn't explain to us about. ^.^

Very good interviewees 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

very objective. Thumbs up!

comparing the Singaporean views and the ones in Taiwan, you can feel how deeply politicians and political parties can affect the general public

I wish Singapore more prosperity and better ❤️🇸🇬

Interesting, thank you.

interesting, thank you!

Singapore is the one government modern China had learnt the most from.

"What is your perception of China as a Singaporean ?" "I am Chinese-Indonesian" 😅

Impressed by their pragmatic view, worth we all to take a learn...

Finally the viewers increase Keep it up boss

I learned a lot about Singapore that I hadn't realized. Thank you, Asian Boss! I did become acquainted with two young people from Singapore through friends while on a trip to China and had learned only a bit about the country then.

I would like to see Asian opinions on recent US controversies like RoevWade and the like which put an interesting perspective on things.

valuable opinions

You could have titled this 'What do Singaporean Chinese think of China' and it'd be more accurate.

Marie from Asian Boss says "Singapore is one of the only countries in the Asia-Pacific that favours China over the U.S. according to a recent survey" --- can someone please share the link to this survey?

北京人 2019年去新加坡旅游 有种回家的感觉 华人之间有种奇妙的气场 温和 乐观 勤奋 我尊重新加坡人对中国大陆的各种不同的 宝贵的见解和观点 …

I am pretty sure that most of developing country prefers China over US. The most of westerner adapts the biased reports or news from Western and it affects them to see the real China. But China itself definitely got some issues. In general, China isn’t a veil country as western media describes.

This Video shows Singapore’s education system are very successful, their answers are quite reasonable and independent, not much influenced by social media or propaganda

It’s interesting to hear some views from young Singaporeans about their country’s position between the rival super powers in their part of the world. Understandably, SG needs to walk a tight rope very carefully to ensure their nation’s survival economically & politically. So a misstep could be disastrous for the island nation & its people could work harder together to maintain that delicate balancing act. We wish them the best.

I'm assuming the recent survey is the one from Pew Research Center that has been quoted in multiple media outlets. In that report. 19 countries were surveyed, out of which 5 are indo-pac countries. Singapore and Malaysia scores are pretty close in favorable scores, while Japan, S Korea & Australia are in the opposite spectrum. Many other Indo-pac countries weren''t surveyed. The report itself is an interesting read, but do note that some bias may arise from countries selected for survey.

This was very interesting. We need to hear each others around the world , not depend only on political powers to relate to others. Seen from The view point of an 86 years old Canadian , born and raised French.

I used to live in Europe and UK for 10 years when I was a youngster and I have been living in the USA and Canada for the last 40 years. My grandfather/mother left China 1892. I love Chinese people and its culture. Do I like Western countries and the USA ? Well, I was brainwashed. Please look deeply and passionately. I take my hat off to China ! God bless.

The knowledge on the historical context and culture of both countries are important in order to comment. Opinions formed from sentiments and personal preference without much reference to international protocols could be subconsciously or unwittingly bias. At least be knowledgeable about what constitutes the one China principle and the 3 Communiques between China and the US. Be mindful of who controls the media narratives globally and what impact it has on shaping attitude.

The era of globalization was over. The US-China conflict will deepen. The US is forming a new semiconductor alliance to cut off the semiconductor supply chain to China, and neighboring countries now have to choose between the US and China. This is very difficult issue to neighboring countries.

Kudos to Asian Boss for culling a handful of more thoughtful and balanced answers from the many more it had interviewed. As this is a small sample size (of interviews), it remains uncertain as to whether the interviewees' opinions were sufficiently representative of all Singaporeans, including newer citizens. Opinions are bound to be diverse, ranging from pro-US to pro-China and the whole spectrum of views in-between. While Singapore and Singaporeans generally desire to remain friends with both China and the USA, we have got to be prepared for an indefinite period of intensifying US-China rivalry, when increasingly pressured to choose the "either-or" option by stronger power(s) that live out the value of "might is right". when the degree of freedom of choices and manoeuvre as a small, sovereign, independent state, can narrow. I believe that Singapore's professed adherence to UN principles of international law and order, to speak out against the law of the jungle from threatening small nation-states' existence and the way it quietly and openly conducts its foreign affairs with all states, including North Korea (remember the Trump-Kim Summit in Singapore?), are governed by hard-headed, long-term, enlightened and realist views. Ultimately driven by the first law of human nature (self-preservation) as a nation, as a people. In these increasingly perilous times, all the more, unity (not division) is called for, as One People, One Nation, One Singapore.

Wonderful

I am a 15-year-old Chinese student studying in Singapore. I have a very good impression of Singapore, because the people here have a very high education and quality. When I first came to Singapore, many Singaporean friends took me to various places. Although some people would maliciously satirize me, I do not care about it. I think Singapore is the most developed country in Asia and even the world, And the mixed race girls in Singapore are very beautiful

I like Singapore a lot. They have the most nuanced and logical views of the world.

jesus they articulate so well. such intelligent ppl

In the past many Singaporeans had a deeper connection to the main land, seems like the nostalgia is still there

Well, to avoid a misconception, it is important to mention that the majority of Chinese Singaporeans do have the origin of present-day South China. Their ancestors did not speak Mandarin Chinese but other Sinitic languages like Hakka and Cantonese. And even many years after the establishment of the Republic of Singapore, Mandarin Chinese was not taught in Singaporean schools. However, then, Lee Kwan Yew changed everything. He allowed teaching Mandarin Chinese and even he, a person who spoke English in the majority of his life, started learning it. The reason was Lee hoped that Singaporeans would be good neutral people. I mean when they could speak English, they could easily adopt the developments of the West. Meanwhile, when they could speak Mandarin, they could understand one of the most lucrative markets in the world. Bascially, Singaporeans could be a bridge between the West and China, what Hongkongers were when they were under the reign of the British Empire. Unfortunately, not all Singaporeans today can speak Mandarin fluently. They mainly speak English and only speak Mandarin in specific cases.

I saw a video of a Malaysian person of Chinese origin who is practicing Vietnamese. Surprisingly, he says that Singapore is more likely to be an ally of the United States of America, but they still hope China will develop more and there won’t be a conflict between two great powers.

Singaporean citizens seem so well-informed, reasonable, and intelligent. Try asking random people on the street about this in the US. You will get a bunch of ill-informed uneducated people ranting and raving.

Singapore can try to stay neutral for as long as possible. So, if US wants to park their aircraft carriers, let them. but at the same time, offer the same terms to China. If US wants Singapore to send soldiers, send the same number to assist both sides, or decline. So, do exactly the same and be transparent with all intelligence. This is the key to survival. Eventually, Singapore must choose a side, but just make sure to choose the winning side.

I think if you interviewed some Singaporeans who are not ethnic Chinese, this would have been more balanced and interesting

Singapore has around 78% ethnic Chinese and most Singaporeans will view China positively due to increased exposure to China's culture compared to westerners who may not have any exposure to China, only through negative western media reporting. We are more pragmatic and don't subscribe to liberal ideals only.

Singapore is a young country so the ethnicity factor features quite prominently in their sense of identity (vs nationality). It would be good to add the views of at least the other two major ethnicities there and see if there is true alignment of views as a nation. That would also help probe whether consumption of different language media is a large determinant of their world views. The one girl whose opinion shifted after moving to Singapore is an interesting case. Perhaps there are more like her if they are willing to be interviewed.

Damn Singaporeans are smart and level headed. Interesting interview Asian Boss.

Singapore is one of not that many countries in the list of China’s visa waiver, unilaterally given waiver for 15 days per visit.

I mean China did model their government after Singapore from the 80s and forward.

I am really stressful to watch this video hahahaha, it's almost like a scenario of IELTS test for me LOL.

Everyone interviewed seemed to have good diplomatic skills!

新加坡人很实际的🇸🇬 People there from Singapore are realistic They know they need to be friends with everyone

2:35 It’s funny when she was actually in China she feel good about China. And when she Was under western propaganda …. you get what I mean

How do the Austronesians feel looking at a video of a country located in Austronesia region but none of the interviewees is Austronesian?

How to “avoid being caught in the middle of big power rivalry”? - always see things from the perspective of your country’s own interest - in other words, based on Singapore’s interest, no one else’s. To the USA: “you are still the dominant hyper power, but China is growing and catching up. We have a great and enduring relationship, we still see USA as vibrant, innovative and influential. But do we want to be like America in every aspect? NO! We see you at eye-level and when we disagree with your POV, we will tell you “those are YOUR values, we disagree and let’s discuss it” To China: “we share similar Chinese traditions/ culture, language as well. But we are Singaporeans, not China Chinese. We act according to Singapore’s interest, not China’s.

I’m a kiwi Chinese who has just visited Singapore a week ago. It’s a beautiful country with such impressive history and leadership! It looks like a top tier country with not only phenomenal economic growth but the country is safe, vibrant an culturally in harmony. Well done Singapore! The video was interesting as my impressions in the country is that ethnically most of the people were Chinese ie they were descendants from China. China ( Deng Xiao Ping) also came to Singapore in the 1970s to learn how Singapore became economically successful and the the followed Lee Kwan Yu’s blueprint. China has risen from absolute poverty to now being the number 2 economy in the world very similar to Singapore now number 2-3 in the world per capita. Both countries have done very well. So I can see why there would be some bias towards China. As the interviews showed age has an influence on the attitude towards China. Being neutral is not only a cultural thing but also sensible given Singapore needs to trade with both China and USA. Cool and interesting video! Thanks. 👍

还是熟悉的配方，充满引导性的提问。

I noticed most subjects in this video are quite on quote ‘Chinese’… no Malays or Indians on the street?

Thanks for sharing! It’s quite interesting to see most Singaporean think they are Chinese. It makes me curious about how most Chinese think about Singaporean.🤔 Is it also the same way? Do they feel Singaporean is part of Chinese culture as well?

As a born and bred Singaporean I have always aligned with Chinese culture more than Western culture.

I like to think that when push comes to shove, us Singaporeans will side with Singapore rather than the West or China. For me, I tend to side and identify myself as Singaporean Chinese, but my loyalty does not lie with China itself. There are policies from both the West and China that I agree and disagree with. I think the problem is that both sides are too polarized and tend to muddy the waters when it comes to the faults of their own respective ideals. What we need to do, is lock Biden and Xi into the same room for 72 hrs and not let them out until they've finished hashing things out. With food and water in the room ofc 😂. Prosperity lies in cooperation; decimation lies in war. It's a very simple choice that I hope ppl can make.

Gotta love Singaporeans very well spoken and really mature well educated too

11:50 Reporter: "This guy has a lot of issues, I'll step away" 😂

I'm Singaporean Chinese and I would generally agree with the older man and woman in striped shirt the most. We want to be neutral as far as possible (so much so we have aimed to become 'Switzerland of the East') in any superpower conflict. However if Singapore is forced to pick sides I'm almost certain the Singapore government will lean towards the US & its allies (eg EU, Australia, Japan, South Korea) as a pragmatic move. This may, however, change in the future if China becomes more powerful than the US and the global balance of power shifts. Regarding Taiwanese independence, I don't think most Singaporeans would support this, myself included. Taiwan has historically and legislatively been part of the Republic of China (ROC) and all countries in the United Nations only recognises only the existence of PRC or ROC. There is no reason to change that or to create an independent "Republic of Taiwan" out of thin air unless you are seeking to provoke and create conflict in the region (which I believe is what some US politicians have been trying to do now, starting with the visit of Nancy Pelosi, the US warships sailing through the Taiwan strait and Marsha Blackburn signalling her "support for Taiwan independence"). China has exercised immense restraint in this matter and personally I would actually support China in the Taiwan issue because the U.S. is clearly unabashedly provoking China in this regard and its no longer even subtle at this point. Many have tried to draw parallels between the Russia-Ukraine issue and the China-Taiwan issue but these are 2 very distinct problems. Ukraine is a sovereign nation in the United Nations according to international law, whereas Taiwan is officially part of China (with ROC only considered an alternative government of China). China has time and time again said that this is an "internal affair" which does not require foreign intervention, which is completely true in the eyes of international law and sovereignty.

I was waiting for the Malay and Indian Singaporeans to share their views. But I guess this was the angle for the interviews to get the opinions of Chinese Singaporeans

For those complaining about lack of ethnic diversity of the interviewee, the girl @1:20 is a Chinese-Indonesian.

Singapore is a tiny little dot in the big scale of things. Being as neutral as possible is the only stance we can have.

Singaporean here. When I was a kid, my parents would send money and clothes to their China relatives because they were so poor. When China became rich and powerful, my dad told me that with a powerful China, we Chinese have a place to stand on the world stage. The west has to understand that China has the right to develop and take their rightful place on the world stage.

It would be good if Singapore can be the bridge between China and US since we have a relatively good relations with both countries.

There is one observation. How one think is higly affected by the kind of education he or she received or even just to learn a language (school or family) will have similar effect. A person absorbs the culture when learning the language.

Perhaps a change in title from "Singaporeans" to "ethnically Chinese people residing in Singapore" will be a more accurate reflection of the video, since not all interviewees are Singaporeans (there is an Indonesian and a PRC Chinese). More importantly, it's a pity that there's a lack of interviewees from other major races (i.e. Malays, Indians and Eurasians) as Singapore is a multi-racial country. On a related note, hope AB can do a part 2: ask Singaporeans about their opinions on foreign influence operations (which PM Lee mentioned recently during NDR).

Hey Asian Boss, why is it news when an Asian country does not have an overtly anti-China stance ? Must all Asian countries be absolutely aligned with the US in what is essentially an economic rivalry between those 2 countries ?

We enjoy coffee, Chinese tea, English tea and bubble tea, we like nice things 😊

Not sure why only a particular ethnicity was chosen for the interviews, even those who were migrants. A wider spectrum would have provided a broader perspective and a more holistic view of the overall residents.

While searching for allies in the region in the past, Taiwan offered itself as a military training site for Singapore. So Singapore is in a........ strange position between Taiwan and China.

I love the girl who said my living and my personal experience in China is positive. But after reading all the western media, now it's negative. That tells you all truth about the real perception.

I feel that Asian Boss needs better reporters, I feel a bit turned off when the reporter asked the questions with improper grammar. I want to see better reporting with more follow up questions like what Hiroko and Kei does

The responses are totally reasonable. But, in times of strife there can be no ambivalence.... One day a decision will be required.

One of my Singapore friends said that he is a westernize liberal but if a war break out between the two superpowers, he will side with China like his grandfather had done to support motherland during WW2.

Great and interesting topic to cover! Given that the majority of Singaporeans are Chinese diaspora, I think many people may unintentionally have a positively skewed view of China as their ethnicity, culture and identity is linked to China.

Proud of their answers.

The camera quality is so good the interviwees look ai generated

Damn these Singaporeans are deep in their understanding of geopolitics.