The US and China are on course for a major clash if both countries refuse to back down from uncompromising positions, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Friday.
Mr Lee told the World Economic Forum that China “will not collapse like the Soviet Union” and the US should not view the country as a threat.
He urged China to show “greater responsibility” on the world stage so it could be viewed as a legitimate power in the eyes of its detractors.
Earlier, China warned Taiwan that seeking independence "means war". China recently stepped up military activities with warplanes flying near the island.
Three days after US President Joe Biden’s inauguration, Chinese military aircraft reportedly simulated missile attacks on a nearby US aircraft carrier during an incursion into Taiwan’s air defence zone.
Mr Lee named deteriorating US-Chinese relations as the most worrying trend on the world stage.
“Both powers have adapted more assertive, uncompromising postures,” he said. “The US now sees China as a strategic rival and challenger to its pre-eminent position. And China is vigorously asserting what it sees as its rightful place in the world.”
But, he said, it was not too late to change course.
“Given the enormous stakes, as difficult as it will be, it cannot possibly be too late for the US and China to reset the tone of their interactions and avert a clash between them, which will become a generational twilight struggle,” Mr Lee said.
“The new US administration has an opportunity to steer the relationship to safer waters. Americans are seeing China as a challenger, almost as a threat. If you see China as a threat, that will be a problem. China is not going to collapse like the Soviet Union did.”
Mr Lee warned certain countries against hijacking vaccine supplies during the global race to immunise people against Covid-19.
The European Union plans to block exports of vaccines that are not legitimate after the bloc's inoculation campaign was thrown into disarray by AstraZeneca's decision to reduce deliveries.
Mr Lee likened the global vaccine struggle to the early days of the pandemic when countries scrambled for PPE supplies.
“It was every man for himself,” he said. “I think we will see the same with vaccines because supplies are short. But if the virus is brewing in other continents, soon enough it will reach your shores by land, air or sea.”
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian
Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco
Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French
Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian
U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco
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AUSTRALIA SQUAD v SOUTH AFRICA
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Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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