On May 30, 2009 US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg had an off-the-record conversation in Singapore's Presidential Palace with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. The conversation touched on the question of China's influence over ASEAN countries, a topic we have been discussing on this blog. For example, Jotman recently asserted that "China will surely attempt to use its influence over weak regimes like Cambodia or Burma to divide and control (ASEAN)."
A secret June 4, 2009 US State Department cable from the US Embassy in Singapore (released by WikiLeaks on Nov. 30, 2010) reported on the senior State Department official's conversation with MM Lee Kuan Yew:
MM Lee said China is following an approach consistent with ideas in the Chinese television series “The Rise of Great Powers.” The mistake of Germany and Japan had been their effort to challenge the existing order. The Chinese are not stupid; they have avoided this mistake. China’s economy has surpassed other countries, with the exceptions of Japan and the United States. Even with those two countries, the gap is closing, with China growing at seven-nine percent annually, versus two-three percent in the United States and Japan. Overall GDP, not GDP per capita, is what matters in terms of power. China has four times the population of the United States. China is active in Latin America, Africa, and in the Gulf. Within hours, everything that is discussed in ASEAN meetings is known in Beijing, given China’s close ties with Laos, Cambodia, and Burma, he stated.Can there be any doubt as to the identity of ASEAN's biggest leakers?
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