Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan stressed that the strategic routes of the Malacca Straits and the Singapore Straits must remain free for all parties to use, despite the risk of escalating geopolitical tensions. Singapore rejects any efforts to block or impose restrictions on the main trade route.
He stated that the right of transit passage is guaranteed and the country will not engage in any action to obstruct the movement of ships in its waters.
This stance was also conveyed to world powers including China and the United States as a clear message on the importance of maintaining the stability of global trade routes.
The Malacca Straits are one of the world's most important trade routes connecting the Indian and Pacific Oceans, comparable to the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal. This route is the main artery for the movement of energy and goods, thus making it a sensitive point in any international conflict.
At the same time, this route is also monitored by the US Navy's Seventh Fleet and is often linked to China's strategic concerns that it sees it as a major weakness in a war scenario, known as the "Malacca Dilemma".
Beijing is now actively reducing its dependence on this route through the development of energy pipelines and large investments in alternative energy.
Tensions between the United States and China are seen as a major risk that could destabilize the region. A large-scale conflict in the Pacific has the potential to turn routes such as the Strait of Malacca into a critical arena of competition.
President Prabowo Subianto also stressed the strategic importance of Indonesia, which controls several key routes including the Sunda Strait and the Makassar Strait.
This route is estimated to handle around 70% of East Asian energy and trade flows, thus increasing the country's geopolitical importance.
Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia are seen as united in ensuring that this trade route remains open. All three countries depend on global trade and have the same strategic interest in ensuring the smooth movement of regional economies without disruption.
