Singapore – For decades, Singapore promoted itself as one of the world's most open and globalized economies to compensate for its tiny territory and lack of natural resources.
Now the Southeast Asian city-state faces a new challenge: preserving the magical ingredients of its success while protecting itself against the foreign interference that such openness could provoke.
On Monday, Singapore invoked its foreign interference law for the first time by designating Chan Man Ping Philip, a 59-year-old naturalized citizen, as a “politically significant person,” weeks after authorities signaled their intention to designate the businessman.
Singapore's Home Ministry said Chan, who was born in Hong Kong, had shown “susceptibility to being influenced by foreign actors and a willingness to promote their interests.”
Under the designation, Chan must annually disclose political donations of S$10,000 (about $7,400) or more he receives, foreign affiliations and immigration benefits.
While the government did not say what country interests Chan was allegedly trying to promote in Singapore, the businessman and property developer is well known for championing China's perspective.
“It is our duty as overseas Chinese to tell China's history well and spread and transmit the wonderful traditional Chinese culture while we are abroad,” Chan said, quoted by a Chinese media outlet last year while attending the Two Parliamentary Sessions. from China. meetings.
Chan, who founded China Link Education Consultancy and headed the Hong Kong Singapore Business Association and the Kowloon Club, has also written prolifically for Chinese-language news outlet Lianhe Zaobao.
In 2019, police issued him a warning for facilitating a discussion on a controversial bill in Hong Kong without a permit, in violation of Singapore's strict restrictions on public gatherings.
Chan told local media he had no comment on the appointment and a request for comment made by Al Jazeera through his former association went unanswered.
Singapore passed the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act, or FICA, in 2021 amid strong criticism from opposition politicians and activists who warned that the legislation could be used to suppress legitimate dissent.
Other countries, such as Australia and the United Kingdom, have passed laws aimed at preventing foreign interference.
But for Singapore, the task of balancing an open economy and national security is especially delicate.
Singapore, a small island city-state with few natural resources, relies heavily on the free flow of goods and people.
Trade accounts for more than 300 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), the highest share of any country, and non-permanent immigrants make up about 30 percent of the country's 5.92 million residents.
For the authorities, they are increasingly aware that this opening can be a double-edged sword.
“For Singapore, there has always been a constant concern about foreign influence and this is not unique to China as we are an open economy and also highly digitalized,” said Dylan Loh, an expert on Chinese foreign policy at Nanyang Technological University ( NTU), told Al Jazeera.
“We cannot afford to put up barriers to people, information, ideas and capital as others have done.”
Loh said Singapore is especially concerned about “insidious forms of influence” that go beyond typical economic and cultural exchanges.
“As a Chinese-majority country, it is quite natural that we are seen as a fertile site for cultivation and influence,” Loh said.
“For Singapore, I think this means that we have had to update our tools, including our regulations, to better deter and also respond appropriately when we detect such activities and this incident is precisely why FICA was needed,” he added, referring to the Chan case.
Local media have highlighted how ethnic Chinese Singaporeans, who make up about three-quarters of the population, are increasingly sympathetic to China.
In a Pew Research Center survey of residents of 19 countries conducted in 2022, Singapore was one of only two countries – along with Malaysia – where a majority of residents expressed a favorable view of China.
Chong Ja Ian, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore (NUS), said there is concern in Singapore about the Chinese Communist Party mobilizing the Chinese diaspora and exploiting trade relations to advance its interests.
“The fact that Singapore has in the past evaded more serious and substantive debates on race, ethnicity, citizenship and their meaning means that Singapore society is less prepared to face challenges that attract, challenge and perhaps seek to redefine these concepts of identity . “Chong told Al Jazeera.
Like many Asian peers, Singapore has also been reluctant to take sides in the increasingly heated rivalry between the United States and China, instead adopting the mantra of being “a friend to all and an enemy to none.”
Singapore is in a challenging position because its foreign policy requires building a network of partners based on the principles of mutual respect, sovereignty and equality of states, regardless of their size, said Ben Chester Cheong, a law professor at the University of Social Sciences of Singapore. (SUSS).
“Everything that happens around us must be understood considering the fundamentals of Singapore's foreign policy. As a small and open economy, it is inevitable that Singapore needs to work closely with various countries in different sectors, including technology, society and academia,” Cheong told Al Jazeera.
Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has cited a series of cases of foreign entities allegedly mounting hostile influence campaigns as justification for FICA.
In one of the most high-profile cases of alleged foreign interference, authorities expelled Chinese-American academic Huang Jing in 2017 after considering him an “agent of influence from a foreign country.”
Huang, a professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, had his permanent residency revoked for allegedly working with intelligence agencies to influence government policy and public opinion.
Huang denied being a foreign agent at the time and described the claims as “nonsense.”
FICA, which was passed by parliament after a 10-hour debate, has sparked controversy over its immunity from judicial review and the scope of its powers, including provisions allowing authorities to order internet service providers and streaming platforms. social networks that provide information to the user, block content and delete applications. It is used to spread content that they consider hostile.
In an open letter prior to FICA's passage, 11 human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, said the legislation's provisions “contravene international legal and human rights principles” and would “further restrict the civic space, both online and offline.
Singapore's business community has remained silent on the legislation, both before and after its passage.
Several business associations in Singapore and China declined to comment when approached by Al Jazeera.
SUSS's Cheong said he did not believe the use of FICA against Chan would scare away investors or companies, given that he had not been charged with any criminal offense and his case appeared to be isolated.
Investors and companies are attracted to Singapore because it has one of the best business environments in the world, which remains the main consideration, Cheong said.
“A good majority of investors and companies are not politically important nor do they have any desire to be politically active,” he said.
“Therefore, for most investors and companies that are politically inert, the likelihood that FICA will ever be applied to them is negligible.”
Althaf Marsoof, assistant professor at Nanyang Business School of Nanyang Technological University, said the law can actually increase business confidence, as national security and public order are “critical prerequisites for a stable business environment.” and sure”.
“FICA enhances Singapore's reputation as a safe and reliable location for economic activities, critical to sustaining and attracting investment and fostering business growth,” Marsoof told Al Jazeera.
Marsoof said the law has so far been applied in a “targeted” manner and the government wants to maintain a “stable and balanced international position.”
“This measured approach ensures that legitimate business operations and investments are not adversely affected, reinforcing Singapore's commitment to maintaining a safe and predictable operating environment, vital for business confidence and investment decisions,” he said.
NUS's Chong said Singapore society should have more open discussions on issues related to identity and foreign meddling and not rely solely on the law.
“Other actors will sometimes try to use Singapore and Singaporeans for their purposes,” he said.
“That can not be avoided. What can be helped is how Singapore and Singaporeans address these challenges. Having laws like FICA without broader debates and without greater transparency may not be enough.”
