Singapore leader sees a China challenge

By David R. Sands
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

China's economic explosion is transforming Asia's political landscape, posing problems and opportunities for its neighbors and for the United States, Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo said in an interview yesterday...................................

..................................The emergence of China and, to a lesser extent, India, "changes the global polarity," said Mr. Yeo, predicting it will shape everything from Latin America's development to Middle East politics to the evolution of Islam in the 21st century.

Countries such as South Korea and Japan are already having to adjust their policies as China passes the United States as their leading trading partner......................

.........................................Despite China's gains, Mr. Yeo said the United States enjoys a potent political weapon in the attractiveness of American culture and American values to Asians.

"It's not about the government or President Bush, but there is an affection for the United States in the abstract, as an idea, that you can see all over Asia, even in China," he said. "It's amazing how deep it is."

He said the images of U.S. soldiers mobilizing to aid victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami had reinforced popular images of American power and generosity."

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