When conversations in Singapore turn to souring geopolitics, there are some who cannot resist pointing out the upside. Of course nobody wants a new cold war, assures one former top official. But if such a situation were unavoidable, and blocs started forming more rigidly and confrontationally around a US-China split, Singapore might be better positioned than anyone to play both sides.Yet as companies and investors position themselves for what could well be a difficult 2023, little over the past 10 days has resolved the question of whether the November 14 talks between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping set some sort of floor on deteriorating relations, or whether they will continue falling dangerously as many had projected. The cold war lexicon provides easy filler for the gaps created by all this uncertainty.
在新加坡，当话题转向日益恶化的地缘政治问题时，有些人会忍不住指出有利的一面。一位前高级官员保证道，当然，没有人希望出现一场新的冷战。但是，如果这种情况是不可避免的，加上围绕美中脱钩形成的阵营开始变得更加僵化且更具对抗性，那么新加坡可能比任何国家都更有优势在两个阵营之间左右逢源。