If Romney becomes the next US Prez, this man's thots on China are worth a read.

ST's Cheong Suk-Wai interviewed Princeton University's Professor Aaron Friedberg and picked his brains on the state of international politics in the Asia-Pacific (ST, 10 Jan, "US keeping up Asian balancing act," page A27). China was of course centre-stage.

Several of his publications were on my courses' reading list when I taught at NUS.

Prof Friedberg is a key adviser on Asia-Pacific issues to Mr Mitt Romney, the frontrunning candidate for the US presidency in the Republican camp. So this well-known academic's views are worth noting. Here are extracts from the interview:

How would you advise Singapore as it continues to pursue its already warm ties with both giants [ie the US ad China]?

Singapore has been very far-sighted and successful thus far in walking this line. In the 1990s, well before the rest of the region, its leaders recognised the desirability of developing a closer relationship with the US, in part to make sure that the US remained fully engaged, so as to maintain the balance with China. At the same time, obviously, Singapore has deep economic interests with China and does not want to antagonise China. Thus far, it has done quite well in that balancing act...

Other Asian countries are now recognising that they need to maintain very close security cooperation and economic relations with the US, while at the same time avoiding conflict with China.

But why would there be conflict with China now, if China has, as you have said, been adopting Sun Tze's strategy of winning without fighting?

There are two views out there on China: The first suggests that we should expect a more moderate, temperate China, which would be stabilising. But there are reasons indicating that we are beginning a transition into a world where China feels freer to throw its weight around...

Can the US [reassure Asia], given that it's in decline?

Perceptions of American decline are exagerated and inaccurate. Our problems at the moment are mostly fiscal; they have to do with an imbalance between spending and revenue, which is partly the result of fighting two wars, the tax policies [of the Bush years] and also attempts to stimulate the economy in the aftermath of the 2008 financial meltdown. But these are serious and temporary, not fundamental, problems -- unless these are not resolved.

...the notion that China is going to continue to grow strongly indefinitely is simply mistaken. Its growth is going to slow and the question is how fast it slows. It will slow more quickly than some imagine and show China's problems to be deeply rooted... Due to its one-child policy, the flow of young people from the countryside into the cities to work in export-oriented industries is going to dry up dramatically in the next 10 years. The ratio of older to younger workers is going to be inverted and create serious constraints on growth and the environment... Many people are understating America's enduring advantages and overstating China's capabilities.

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Meanwhile, did you know that there is a Tea Party "presence" in Singapore? Here's proof:

This cafe is along Bukit Timah Road, near Sixth Avenue.