SINGAPORE: The U.S. is increasingly focusing on Southeast Asia, highlighted by the Senate confirmation hearing of Dr. Anjani Sinha for U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, where he faced scrutiny for being unprepared on key issues. Concurrently, U.S. tariffs affecting ASEAN nations loom large, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits the region amid rising tensions with China.
Across the Pacific, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Kuala Lumpur for his first Asia visit to attend the ASEAN regional forum.
What this whirlwind of activity means for Southeast Asia remains to be seen.
AN UNPREPARED NOMINEE FOR SINGAPORE POST
The geostrategic importance of Singapore came out loud and clear during the ambassadorial nominee’s hearing.
Singapore is “one of the most important friends we have in the Indo-Pacific, a key place we’re going to be fighting against our greatest adversary in the region, the [People’s Republic of China],” said Ms Duckworth in her questioning.
Unfortunately, Dr Sinha was unprepared to answer basic questions about the country, including the US trade surplus with Singapore, issues of importance when it takes over as ASEAN chair in 2027 or the way the US Navy works with Singapore.
Ms Duckworth’s conclusion: “You are not currently prepared for this posting, period. And you need to shape up and do some homework.”
This should not have happened and was easily avoidable even with a political novice being thrown into a high-stakes process. Confirmation hearings for these types of positions are typically boring, well-scripted sessions.
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Still, this does not mean he cannot be a net positive to the US-Singapore relationship.
If confirmed, which is likely, Dr Sinha would be supported by world-class US Embassy career foreign service and commercial officers. And, if he has the type of relationship with the US president where he can advance bilateral interests directly, which appears to be the case, that counts most.
“Dr Sinha plays golf with Trump and is Don Jr’s orthopaedic surgeon… certainly better than the normal State Department types who are despised by the MAGA group,” Bilahari Kausikan, former Permanent Secretary at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told me.
RUBIO’S FIRST ASIA VISIT AMID TARIFFS
Just as Mr Trump’s tariffs loomed large over Dr Sinha’s hearing, so will they over Mr Rubio’s first official trip to the region. The revised levies announced this week – now scheduled to start from Aug 1 – continue to hang precipitously over Southeast…
Explain It To Me Like I’m 5: In a busy week for US-Southeast Asia relations, the nominee for ambassador to Singapore, Dr. Anjani Sinha, faced tough questions during his Senate hearing, highlighting the importance of Singapore as a strategic partner while also dealing with new tariffs affecting the region.
