Aware that US containment of China is a persistent feature of Washington’s foreign strategy rather than a temporary political gesture, China has made sure to be prepared since US President Donald Trump’s first term. Academic Gu Qingyang observes that China is reshaping the rules of engagement, driven by shifts in the external environment and the domestic need to ensure economic recovery.

International cooperation can advance, even when the most powerful players are at odds

Rather than adapt or align, countries are attempting to mitigate the full effects of the US shock.

Two former US diplomats, joined by a senior Singapore diplomat and an academic, discussed America's enduring resilience and capacity for renewal, amid change in US foreign policy under the Trump presidency. Yet, their reassurances were tempered by lingering ambiguities, leaving many questions unresolved. “Where is the United States going and has America changed forever?” That was the provocative question posed by Chan Heng Chee, Ambassador-at-Large and Professor, Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities at the panel discussion, Strategy and Statecraft - Implications for Global Stability and Commerce held at The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, and directed at speakers Dr Kurt Campbell, Chairman and Co-founder of The Asia Group, Mr Matt Pottinger, CEO of Garnaut Global LLC and Joseph Liow Chin Yong, Dean, College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences, Professor, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University.