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Biden blundered by excluding Singapore from democracy summit
Dov S. Zakheim in the Hill criticises the exclusion of Singapore from the list of invitees in consideration of the wider context in the Asia-Pacific region. Singapore was recently described by the US State Department as, "one of the United States’ strongest bilateral partners in Southeast Asia and [one that] plays an indispensable role in supporting the region’s security and economic framework." Zakheim further notes the strategic importance of Singapore in the region, as it has given US military forces access to its facilities until 2035. Moreover, the Summit did not go far enough to address the plight of the Uyghurs. While Zakheim applauds the US administration for having extended an invitation to Taiwan, he recommends more explicitly including upholding the rights of the Uyghur people and reconsidering its list of invitees, urging that Singapore be invited in 2022.