US ambassador to Singapore hails ties, concerned by China’s ‘unnecessarily provocative’ actions

US Ambassador to Singapore Jonathan Kaplan says Beijing has been “unnecessarily provocative” in the South China Sea, emphasising the importance of American business investment in the city state and region.

Kaplan, who has been serving as ambassador to Singapore since 2021, expressed the United States’ support for the region and its concerns over China’s maritime activities during a speech on Wednesday at the launch of the Milken Institute Asia Summit 2024.

The ambassador also assured partners at the summit that the US would continue to support the region, regardless of the outcome of its presidential election.

Kaplan, who is also an entrepreneur, stressed the importance of communication between the two competing superpowers, saying: “The United States shares concerns and frustrations like many in the region about some of the PRC [People’s Republic of China] behaviour, especially in the South China Sea where they are being aggressive and, I will argue, unnecessarily provocative.”

He added that his country remained concerned about China’s partnership with Russia’s Vladimir Putin amid his illegal invasion of Ukraine.