Deciphering China

Abstract

This chapter examines Singaporean elite perspectives towards China and how China’s rise is understood and debated in Singapore. It argues that Singapore’s reading of China’s rise is broadly divided into three schools that parallel theories of mainstream international relations, namely, the realist, economic institutionalist, and the constructivist positions. By analyzing the views put forth by three Singaporean thought leaders that are representative of each of these schools, the chapter argues that at the crux of Singapore’s perspectives on China is a contestation between these three schools of thought as well as the extent to which Singapore perceives China as exceptional.