Why Singapore was sidelined at China’s OBOR Forum – and what it means for us

SINGAPORE (May 19): The One Belt, One Road (OBOR) Forum was touted as China’s most important diplomatic event in recent years. And noticeably, Singapore did not seem to have a seat at the main table.

At the event, China’s President Xi Jinping promoted his grand vision of boosting economic ties across the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe, and pledged US$124 billion ($172.2 billion) to help fund infrastructure projects that would link them all up.

It made headlines across the world this past week, especially in the 29 countries whose leaders attended the two-day event in Beijing. Among them were Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia, President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines and President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

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