Tharman says Singapore and Sweden can bridge divides as world order fragments
At a Stockholm lecture, Singapore’s president warned that rivalry could split trade and technology into competing blocs, and called for cooperation between the US and China.
Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said at a lecture in Stockholm on 20 October that countries such as Singapore and Sweden could help bridge geopolitical divides as rivalry threatens to split the world into competing blocs, CNA reported. Speaking at the Stockholm School of Economics during a state visit to Sweden, he said trade and investment were at risk.
Tharman said the old US-led world order was receding, but a stable multipolar order had yet to emerge. He warned of growing rivalry and the use of trade and materials as geopolitical weapons. Countries able to work across divides could connect regions and find common interests between the Global North and Global South, he said.
Why Tharman called for US-China cooperation
Any workable world order would have to include both the United States and China, Tharman argued. He pointed to their large markets, innovation and share of global AI computing capacity, as well as their importance to efforts against climate change. He urged them to manage economic interdependence alongside competition, warning that separate technology systems, supply chains and payment systems would make the world more dangerous.
Tharman also rejected the idea of a permanent winner in the AI race. He said AI was lowering barriers for non-state actors seeking to develop cyber, biological or chemical weapons, a threat he argued no country could handle alone. Beyond security, he called for coalitions on climate action, pandemic preparedness and limiting AI harms.
Economic pressures and the Sweden visit
Addressing economic strains, Tharman said domestic imbalances in major economies have consequences abroad. He urged the US to reduce its deficits and said a shift from Chinese exports towards investment in overseas markets could play a useful role.
In a joint statement at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on 19 October, Tharman said Singapore and Sweden shared a commitment to international law and a rules-based multilateral order. He said Singapore would chair ASEAN in 2027, giving the visit a regional dimension beyond the two countries’ bilateral ties.
Tharman said international cooperation also depended on stronger support at home for communities displaced by technological and economic change. Governments should intervene early, he argued, because broad gains in income or output can mask losses concentrated among particular groups. He warned against a ‘K-shaped economy and society’ in the AI era.
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Sources and context
- 'Bridge-builders' like Singapore, Sweden key amid risk of fragmented world order: President TharmanCNA
- Transcript of Joint Press Statement by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden on Monday, 19 October 2026The Istana
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.