Singapore PM says China-US rivalry ‘awkward’

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaks during a press conference following the 33rd ASEAN summit in Singapore on Nov. 15, 2018. AP

SINGAPORE —  Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong  has said the rivalry between the US and China for influence in Southeast Asia is proving awkward for countries that do not want to have to choose between them.

Lee told reporters at a news conference Thursday that Asia is struggling to adapt to a “deal oriented” US diplomacy under President Donald Trump from the more generous American approach of the past.

He says it’s “easier not to take sides when everyone is on the same side.”

Lee made the comments as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ended its annual summit in the city state. Vice President Mike Pence attended in place of Trump.

ASEAN members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. /ee