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Call for Entries: 2024 International Essay Contest for Young People by The Goi Peace Foundation – Prizes and Certificates Available

Posted by admin | Mar 23, 2024 | Africa , America , Asia , Australia and Oceania , Awards , Competition , Continent , Europe , Latin America and the Caribbean , Middle East and North Africa , South America | 0 |

Introduction: The Goi Peace Foundation is pleased to announce the commencement of the 2024 International Essay Contest for Young People. This prestigious annual event invites youth from across the globe to share their insights and experiences on the theme of “My Experience of Overcoming Conflict.” The contest, designed to foster a culture of peace and sustainable development, offers a platform for young minds to reflect on their encounters with conflict and explore ways to contribute positively to society. In collaboration with UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development initiative, this contest aims to inspire the next generation to envision a harmonious world and take action towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Theme: The theme for this year’s contest is “My Experience of Overcoming Conflict.” Participants are encouraged to share personal narratives of navigating through conflicts, elucidating the lessons learned and the implications for their lives and communities. Conflicts may arise from diverse sources, including differences in opinions and values. Through this theme, contestants are prompted to delve into their own journeys of conflict resolution and contemplate how their experiences can contribute to positive change.

Guidelines:

• Eligibility: Individuals up to 25 years old (as of June 15, 2024) can participate in two age categories: Children (up to 14 years old) and Youth (15 – 25 years old).
• Essay Specifications: Submissions must be in English, French, or Japanese, with a word limit of 700 words or less for English/French essays and 1600 characters or less for Japanese essays. Essays should be typed and include the author’s name, email address, and essay title at the top of the first page. Formatting rules are flexible, but submissions must be in MS Word (DOC/DOCX) or PDF format.
• Submission: Entries must be submitted online via the registration page. Postal mail or email submissions will not be accepted. Teachers and youth directors can submit entries on behalf of their class or group by creating an account for school/organization entrants.
• Originality: Essays must be original and unpublished, with no plagiarized or AI-generated content. Co-authored essays are not permitted.
• Publication: By submitting an essay, participants grant permission to the organizer to publish it in any medium, while retaining ownership.
• Deadline: Entries must be received by June 15, 2024, 23:59 (local time).

Awards: The contest offers awards in both the Children’s and Youth categories:

• 1st Prize: Certificate, 100,000 Yen prize (approx. US$660), and a gift (1 winner per category)
• 2nd Prize: Certificate, 50,000 Yen prize (approx. US$330), and a gift (3 winners per category)
• 3rd Prize: Certificate and a gift (5 winners per category)
• Honorable Mention: Certificate and a gift (25 winners) Additionally, winners of the 1st to 3rd prizes will be invited to a Winners Gathering held online. Other awards, such as the Best School Award and School Incentive Award, will be presented as applicable. All winners will be announced on October 31, 2024, on the Goi Peace Foundation website, with certificates and gifts mailed in January 2025.

Conclusion: Young people are invited to participate in the 2024 International Essay Contest for Young People, offering them a platform to share their experiences of overcoming conflict and contribute to a culture of peace and sustainability. Through this contest, the Goi Peace Foundation aims to empower youth to become agents of positive change in their communities and beyond. For more information and to submit entries, visit the Goi Peace Foundation website.

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Goi Peace Foundation: International Essay Contest for Young People

*This program is an activity of the UNESCO Global Action Programme (GAP) on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).

This annual essay contest is organized in an effort to harness the energy, imagination and initiative of the world’s youth in promoting a culture of peace and sustainable development. It also aims to inspire society to learn from the young minds and to think about how each of us can make a difference in the world.

Theme: “Education to Build a Better Future for All”

We live in a world with many complex problems, both local and global. What kind of education and learning would help us address these challenges and create a sustainable world and a better life for all? Describe your concrete ideas for an ideal education.

1. Essays may be submitted by anyone up to 25 years old (as of June 15, 2016) in one of the following age categories: a) Children (ages up to 14) b) Youth (ages 15 – 25) 2. Essays must be 700 words or less in English, French, Spanish or German, or 1600 characters or less in Japanese, excluding essay title. Essays may be typed or printed. 3. Essays must have a cover page indicating (1) category (Children or Youth) (2) essay title (3) your name (4) address (5) phone number (6) e-mail (7) nationality (8) age as of June 15, 2016 (9) gender (10) school name (if applicable) (11) word count. Teachers and youth directors may submit a collection of essays from their class or group. Please enclose a list of participants’ names, ages and the name and contact information of the submitting teacher or director. * Entries missing any of the above information will not be considered. * Please note that the organizer is unable to confirm receipt of essays or answer individual inquiries concerning contest results. 4. Entries may be submitted by postal mail or online. * IMPORTANT: To send your essay online, you must go to the online registration page and follow the required steps. 5. Essays must be original and unpublished. Plagiarized entries will be rejected. 6. Essays must be written by one person. Co-authored essays are not accepted. 7. Copyright of the essays entered will be assigned to the organizer.

Entries must be received by June 15, 2016 (23:59 your local time).

The following awards will be given in the Children’s category and Youth category respectively:

1st Prize: Certificate and prize of 100,000 Yen (approx. US$880 as of February 2016) … 1 entrant 2nd Prize: Certificate and prize of 50,000 Yen (approx. US$440 as of February 2016) … 2 entrants 3rd Prize: Certificate and gift … 5 entrants Honorable Mention: Certificate and gift … 25 entrants

 * 1st prize winners will be invited to the award ceremony in Tokyo, Japan scheduled for November 2016 and will receive the Minister of Education Award. (Travel expenses will be covered by the organizer.) * Additional awards (Recognition for Effort, Best School Award, School Incentive Award) will be given if applicable. * All prize winners will be announced by the end of October 2016 on the Goi Peace Foundation web site (www.goipeace.or.jp). Certificates and gifts will be mailed to the winners in December 2016.

Please send entries to:

International Essay Contest c/o The Goi Peace Foundation 1-4-5 Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0093 Japan

OR submit online.

For inquiries, please contact [email protected] 

Essay Contest 2016 Flyer (PDF)

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Goi Peace Foundation International Essay Contest for Young People 2024

Deadline: June 15, 2024

Applications are open for the Goi Peace Foundation International Essay Contest for Young People 2024 . This annual essay contest is organized in an effort to harness the energy, creativity and initiative of the world’s youth in promoting a culture of peace and sustainable development. It also aims to inspire society to learn from the young minds and to think about how each of us can make a difference in the world.

The theme for the year is “My Experience of Overcoming Conflict”

Conflicts occur for a variety of reasons, including differences in opinions and values. Have you ever had an experience of overcoming a conflict that you were involved in? What did you learn from that experience? How do you want to make use of what you learned, for your own life and for society?

The following awards will be given in the Children’s category and Youth category respectively:

• 1st Prize: Certificate, prize of 100,000 Yen (approx. US$660 as of Feb. 2024) and gift for 1 entrant
• 2nd Prize: Certificate, prize of 50,000 Yen (approx. US$330 as of Feb. 2024) and gift for 3 entrants
• 3rd Prize: Certificate and gift for 5 entrants
• Honorable Mention: Certificate and gift for 25 entrants

Eligibility

• Children (ages up to 14)
• Youth (ages 15 – 25)
• Essays must be 700 words or less in English or French, or 1600 characters or less in Japanese. Essays must be typed, with your name, email address and essay title included at the top of the first page.
• There are no particular rules regarding formatting (font style, size, line space, etc.). However, essays must be submitted in either MS Word (DOC/DOCX) or PDF format.
• Teachers and youth directors may submit a collection of essays from their class or group by creating an ‘account for school/organization entrant’ on the online registration page.
• Essays must be original and unpublished.
• Entries that include plagiarized content or content created by generative AI (such as ChatGPT) will be rejected.
• Essays must be written by one person. Co-authored essays are not accepted.

Application

Entries must be submitted online. To send your essay online, you must go to the online registration page, and follow the required steps. Entries submitted by postal mail or e-mail are not accepted.

Click here to apply

For more information, visit Goi Peace Foundation Contest .

Jude Ogar is an educator and youth development practitioner with years of experience working in the education and youth development space. He is passionate about the development of youth in Africa.

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International Essay Contest for Young People: Call for Essays by 15 June

Young people from around the world are invited to enter the 2016 International Essay Contest for Young People organized by the Goi Peace Foundation, a GAP Key Partner.

The annual contest is organized in an effort to harness the energy, imagination and initiative of the world's youth in promoting a culture of peace and sustainable development. It also aims to inspire society to learn from the young minds and to think about how each of us can make a difference in the world.  

The theme for this year's contest is: EDUCATION TO BUILD A BETTER FUTURE FOR ALL We live in a world with many complex problems, both local and global. What kind of education and learning would help us address these challenges and create a sustainable world and a better life for all? Describe your concrete ideas for an ideal education. 

First Prize winners will be invited to Tokyo, Japan, and will receive the Minister of Education Award at the Goi Peace Foundation Forum in November 2016.

The deadline for entry is 15 June 2016.  

For more information, please see:

• 2016 International Essay Contest for Young People
• The Goi Peace Foundation

More on this subject

Other recent news

DEADLINE Jun 15, 2024

Goi peace foundation organizes essay contest [worldwide], posted on mar 13, 2024 in specialized topics.

Children and young adults up to 25 years old can enter this essay contest endorsed by UNESCO.

The  Goi Peace Foundation  presents its 2024 International Essay Contest for Young People on this year's theme: "My Experience of Overcoming Conflict."

Contestants are invited to explain their experience of overcoming conflict; what they learned from that experience; and how they want to make use of what they learned, for their own life and for society.

Essays must be 700 words or less, typed or printed in English or French, or 1,600 characters or less in Japanese. Essays in other languages must include a translation in one of the accepted languages.

The first and second place winners will receive a certificate and prize of JPY100,000 (US$660) and JPY50,000 (US$330), respectively.

The deadline is June 15.

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Goi Peace Foundation Annual Essay Contest for Young People 2024

• Deadline June 15, 2024
• Time Left 65 Days
• Add to Calendar Google Calendar
• Region Online

Call for essays for the 2024 Goi Peace Foundation Annual Essay Contest for Young People!

Goi Peace Foundation annual essay contest is organized in an effort to harness the energy, creativity and initiative of the world’s youth in promoting a culture of peace and sustainable development. It also aims to inspire society to learn from the young minds and to think about how each of us can make a difference in the world. This program is an activity within the framework of UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development: Towards achieving the SDGs (ESD for 2030).

Get the  Youth Opportunities iOS App here  for the fully-funded opportunities.

“My Experience of Overcoming Conflict” is the theme for this year’s International Essay Contest for Young People.

There are many different reasons why conflicts arise, including divergent viewpoints and moral principles. Have you ever been a part of a quarrel that you were able to resolve? What insights did that experience give you? In what ways do you hope to use the knowledge you have gained to both society and your personal life?

Youth Opportunities invites you to join your preferred channel to get the latest updates directly to your messenger inbox. 1. Youth Opportunities:  https://m.me/j/AbZTmgEzD1UchDte/ 2. Fully Funded Conferences:  https://m.me/j/AbZTfhFTiPCnXf2D/ 3. Full Scholarships:  https://m.me/j/AbbrjbkOMM6I68Cs/ 4. Paid Internships/Jobs:  https://m.me/j/AbaAskb6jFFnRser/ 5. Circle:  https://m.me/j/AbY0vVKSPJULUnE4/

Essays may be submitted by anyone up to 25 years old (as of June 15, 2024) in one of the following age categories:

• Children (ages up to 14)
• Youth (ages 15 – 25)

You can give your essay an original title. Essays may be in any style (thesis or prose, academic or literary), as long as the content is in line with the theme. Essays must be no more than 700 words in French or English, or 1600 characters in Japanese. A cover page is not required. Essays have to be typed, with the essay title, your email address, and your name at the top of the first page. Regarding formatting (font style, size, line space, etc.), there are no specific guidelines. Essays, however, have to be turned in in PDF or MS Word (DOC/DOCX) format. The word limit does not apply to your name, email address, or essay title.

The following awards will be given in the Children’s category and Youth category respectively:

• 1st Prize: Certificate, prize of 100,000 Yen (approx. US$660 as of Feb. 2024) and gift – 1 entrant
• 2nd Prize: Certificate, prize of 50,000 Yen (approx. US$330 as of Feb. 2024) and gift  – 3 entrants
• 3rd Prize: Certificate and gift – 5 entrants
• Honorable Mention: Certificate and gift – 25 entrants
• 1st to 3rd prize winners will be invited to the Winners Gathering to be held online.
• Additional awards (Best School Award, School Incentive Award) will be given if applicable.
• All prize winners will be announced on October 31, 2024 (Japan time) on the official website. Certificates and gifts will be mailed to the winners in January 2025.

Eligibilities

• You must be 25 years old or younger as of June 15, 2024, which is the entry deadline date. That means you must be born after June 15, 1998. On the other hand, there is no minimum age requirement.
• The contest is open to young minds across the world.

Application Process

• Visit the Registration Link by clicking on the “APPLY NOW” button.
• Go to either “Individual” or “School/Organization” Entrant Registration page.
• After entering all required information, click “SUBMIT” button at the bottom of the page to create an account.
• When your account is successfully created, you will be automatically logged in to “My Account”.
• For “INDIVIDUAL”: In “My Account”, click “Register Essay” on the side menu, attach your essay by selecting the file on your computer, and click “SUBMIT”. Only one entry per person is accepted. Once your entry is successfully submitted, you can download your certificate from the “Download Certificate”.
• For “SCHOOL/ORGANIZATION”: In “My Account”, click “Add/Delete Student” on the side menu, register one student per row, attach each essay by selecting the file on your computer, and click “SUBMIT.” Only one entry per person is accepted. Once your entry is successfully submitted, you can download your students’ certificates from the “Student List” and your certificate from the “Teacher‘s Certificate of Participation” on the side menu.
• If you leave “My Account” page, you can log in again with your email address and password from “Entrant login” on the top menu.

Please Note:

• You can only create one account with one email address.
• Essay file in either MS Word (DOC/DOCX) or PDF format.
• Your essay file size must be 2MB or less.
• Your essay must be typed, with your name, email address and essay title included at the top of the first page.

Application Deadline: June 15, 2024 (65 Days Remaining)

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The Goi Peace Foundation International Essay Contest 2023 for young People (USD1,000+ Prize)

Application Deadline: June 15, 2023 (23:59 your local time).

The Goi Peace Foundation annual International Essay Contest is organized in an effort to harness the energy, creativity and initiative of the world’s youth in promoting a culture of peace and sustainable development. It also aims to inspire society to learn from the young minds and to think about how each of us can make a difference in the world.

* This program is an activity within the framework of UNESCO’s  Education for Sustainable Development: Towards achieving the SDGs  ( ESD for 2030 ).

“Youth Creating a Peaceful Future”

What does a peaceful world look like to you? How can young people work together, using creative ideas and approaches to realize a peaceful future? Please share your specific ideas

• Essays may be submitted by anyone up to 25 years old (as of June 15, 2023) in one of the following age categories: a) Children (ages up to 14) 　b) Youth (ages 15 – 25)

Essays must be 700 words or less in English or French, or 1600 characters or less in Japanese. Essays must be typed, with your name and essay title included at the top of the first page.

There are no particular rules regarding formatting (font style, size, line space, etc.). However, essays must be submitted in either MS Word (DOC/DOCX) or PDF format

The following awards will be given in the Children’s category and Youth category respectively: 1st Prize: Certificate, prize of 100,000 Yen (approx. US$740 as of Feb. 2023) and gift … 1 entrant 2nd Prize: Certificate, prize of 50,000 Yen (approx. US$370 as of Feb. 2023) and gift … 3 entrants 3rd Prize: Certificate and gift … 5 entrants Honorable Mention: Certificate and gift … 25 entrants

* 1st to 3rd prize winners will be invited to the Winners Gathering to be held online. * Additional awards (Best School Award, School Incentive Award) will be given if applicable. * All prize winners will be announced on October 31, 2023 (Japan time) on this website. Certificates and gifts will be mailed to the winners in December 2023. * Goi Foundation is unable to answer individual inquiries concerning contest results.

Organized by

The Goi Peace Foundation

Under the auspices of

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan Japanese National Commission for UNESCO, Japan Private High School Federation Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education, Japan Broadcasting Corporation, Nikkei Inc

Supported by

SEIKO GROUP CORPORATION, PLUS CORPORATION

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Goi Peace Foundation International Essay Contest 2023

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Advancing social justice, promoting decent work

Ilo is a specialized agency of the united nations, schoolchildren discuss future of work: an essay contest in baku.

On 14 June 2019, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Azerbaijan held in its premises an awarding ceremony of the essay contest on the topics of the ILO Centenary and the Future of Work. Schoolchildren from Baku took part in the contest.

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A Small State Heavyweight? How Singapore Handles U.S.-China Rivalry

Singapore’s form of governance arguably gives the city-state more latitude in addressing U.S.-China competition than other Southeast Asian nations.

Wednesday, April 10, 2024 / By: Terence Lee, Ph.D.

Publication Type: Analysis

Editor’s Note: The following article is part of a new USIP essay series, “ Southeast Asia in a World of Strategic Competition .” The opinions expressed in these essays are solely those of the authors and do not represent USIP, or any organization or government.

Alice Ba pertinently observes in her introductory essay to this series that Southeast Asia has become a key arena in the ongoing U.S.-China rivalry; regional countries are under growing pressure to choose between the two powers. For Singapore, this competition has provoked a debate on the extent of agency in the conduct of the city-state’s foreign policy. Two perspectives have emerged in this regard.

The first contends that Singapore has little autonomy, reflecting the structural reality of small states portrayed in the ancient Greek Melian Dialogue : “… as the world goes … while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.” This view, which was best captured by former diplomat Kishore Mahbubani , suggests that because Singapore is small, it must behave like small states and “exercise discretion” and “be very restrained in commenting on matters involving great powers.” Mahbubani wrote these in 2017 in response to other Gulf states’ breaking off diplomatic relations with Qatar.

A second view expresses maximalist agency in Singapore’s foreign policy. Propounded by Bilahari Kausikan and other retired Singaporean diplomats, they insist Singapore has not been “cowed or limited by size or geography” or browbeaten and “meekly compliant to the major powers.”  Singapore has instead stood up for “its ideals and principles.”

These contrasting viewpoints raises a critical question: How much autonomy does Singapore wield in its foreign policy in this evolving great power competition?

Singapore’s Governance and U.S.-China Competition

If we view agency as the ability of a state to attain its preferred political and foreign policy preferences, and to respond independently to the actions or constraints imposed by others, Singapore has probably greater latitude than most other Southeast Asian states. Governance in Singapore has been dominated by the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) since 1959. The PAP has more than two-thirds presence in parliament and exercises extensive control over the country’s political, economic, social and cultural activities, including its electoral structures and processes. The PAP has avoided overt factionalism through a set of incentives and constraints institutionalized within the party and nationally. Decision-making, including foreign policy, is dominated by technocrats and the political elite , and insulated from public pressure.

The PAP’s political ascendancy allows Singapore to pursue foreign policies unencumbered.

First, to preserve the city-state’s security and sovereignty, Singapore has significantly increased its security cooperation with the United States. Singapore views the United States as indispensable to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific and backed the Obama administration’s rebalance to Asia policy. Since the end of U.S. bases in the Philippines, Singapore has been the anchor for forward U.S. presence in the region, which has been successively augmented over the years. The two countries signed the enhanced bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement in 2015 , and developed a United States-Singapore Strategic Partnership Dialogue “to strengthen cooperation on the range of bilateral, regional and global challenges under the U.S.-Singapore Strategic Partnership.”

Singapore relies on the United States for its advanced military hardware and training . The United States sells sophisticated weaponry through foreign military sales and direct commercial sales programs. Singaporean military personnel participate in training, exercises and professional military exchanges in places like Luke AFB, and Mountain Home AFB Idaho, where Singaporean F-16, AH-64D, and F-15SG pilots train alongside their U.S. counterparts. Pentagon research agencies, including the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the Office of Naval Research Global, the Navy Medical Research Center-Asia and the Army International Technology Center-Pacific have offices in the republic and work with Singaporean counterparts on issues of shared military relevance.

Second, the PAP has enacted policies to boost Singapore’s status as a global trading and financial hub. Through low corporate tax rates and other pro-business incentives , Singapore has attracted significant inflows of foreign capital. The republic receives more than $244 billion direct U.S. investment, by far the largest single country investor , accounting for more than 20% of all foreign direct investment (FDI) in Singapore. In the manufacturing sector, U.S. FDI in Singapore is almost 50% more than all Asian investment in that industry. In financial and insurance services, U.S. investment is 60% larger than that of the European Union, which is the second largest investor in that sector. China is Singapore’s largest trading partner, and the city-state is its largest foreign investor. Singapore has seen an influx of affluent mainlanders moving their assets and setting up family offices in Singapore, believing the republic to be a safe haven .

Third, Singapore has cultivated closer ties with middle powers (Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea) and supported open multilateralism to enhance its prosperity and collective security. The republic has been prolific in concluding free trade agreements , several with middle powers and a key proponent of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity. 

Fourth, Singapore supports “ASEAN centrality” as a “life raft” amid troubled global times. At the May 2023 ASEAN Summit in Indonesia, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called for greater economic integration and for ASEAN to be unified, to be cohesive, to be effective and to be central .

Significantly, these security, economic and multilateral arrangements have strengthened the PAP’s “ domestic sovereignty ” and increased its performance legitimacy. The ruling party’s legitimacy is premised on “ instrumental acquiescence ,” in which support for the government is premised on its ability to deliver security, political stability and acceptable material standards of living in exchange for the curtailment of certain civil liberties.

China’s Challenges to Singapore’s Sovereignty

However, because of its unique status as the only ethnic Chinese-majority state in Southeast Asia, Singapore faces distinctive challenges to its sovereignty. China, despite Singapore’s consistent denials, insists on referring to it as a “ Chinese country ” and regularly seeks to influence Singapore’s policy choices, using coercion and pressure .

In response to Singapore’s support for the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling which favored the Philippines, and its alleged attempt to include the ruling in the final document of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Venezuela in September 2016, General Jin Yinan , a senior People's Liberation Army advisor, said Singapore is “meddling in things that did not concern it,” and had to “pay the price for seriously damaging China’s interests.” As such it was “inevitable for China to strike back at Singapore, and not just on the public opinion front.” And because “Singapore has gone thus far, we have got to do something, be it retaliation or sanction. We must express our discontent.”

To this end, China exerted pressure on Singapore by detaining its armed forces’ armored Terrex vehicles in Hong Kong in November 2016 and uninviting Singapore’s prime minister to Chinese President Xi Jinping's inaugural Belt and Road summit in 2017.

Beijing has also sought to pressure Singapore’s ethnic Chinese population more directly. It does so through the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the Singapore Business Federation, by making it harder for businesses to get contracts, licenses and permits, especially in the real estate sector, where Singaporeans hold significant investments in China.

An important constituency China has focused on is ethnic-Chinese seniors, who tend to have a stronger affinity for the mainland. China’s appeals are directed toward supporting ethnic pride and Chinese nationalism, through clan and grassroots organizations, based on locality or kinship (surname). Of note is the China Cultural Center (Zhongguo Wenhua Zhongxin, 中国文化中心), or CCC, which was established in Singapore in 2012. The Singapore CCC promotes cultural activities and exchanges, teaching and training to create a common identity between Chinese China and Chinese Singapore.

Other vectors of influence include direct broadcasts from China Central Television (CCTV) and China Global Television Network (CGTN), both are widely available on Singapore cable TV and carry pro-Beijing and anti-U.S. narratives, and disinformation on social media .

More directly, China has employed espionage. Academic Huang Jing , then director of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy’s (LKYSPP) Center on Asia and Globalization, was deported after he was accused by the Ministry of Home Affairs of being “an agent of influence of a foreign country.” Ph.D. student Dickson Yeo , also from the LKYSPP, was jailed in the United States and subsequently issued a detention order under Singapore’s Internal Security Act, for acting as an illegal agent of China.

Singapore has attempted to mitigate China’s interference by passing the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Bill .

Key political office holders also assert the republic’s independence and emphasize the importance of upholding sovereignty. At the 2022 National Day Rally , Singapore’s equivalent of the State of the Union, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned Singaporeans to be vigilant about messages that are shared on social media and actively guard against hostile foreign influence.

“We need to ask ourselves: where do these messages come from, and what are their intentions? And are we sure we should share such messages with our friends? So please check the facts and do not accept all the information as truths [sic]. We must actively guard against hostile foreign influence operations, regardless of where they originate. Only then, can we safeguard the sovereignty and independence of our nation …”

Although the city-state is clear-eyed about its ability to alter the behavior of the two powers, it has tried to be an “ honest broker ” and conveyed its concerns about the rising tensions between Beijing and Washington.

Overall, as the United States and China contest for ascendancy in the region, Singapore has had the space to pursue its political and foreign policy preferences. Observers have termed this hedging — a strategy of not choosing between Washington and Beijing while maximizing gains from cooperating with both powers and avoiding confrontation.

Terence Lee, Ph.D. is a visiting associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University and an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the National University of Singapore.

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