What is the Belt and Road Initiative REALLY about?

Megaprojects explains the Belt and Road Initiative:

This is a rather comprehensive video explaining China's Belt and Road Initiative.

The BRI is the initiative of Xi Jinping, announced in 2013. Prior to that, China's guiding principle was from Deng Xiaoping: "Hide your Strength and Bide your time."

Apparently, when Xi took over, he decided that the time to hide your strength and bide your time was over; that China's time to shine has arrived; that China was ready to take to the stage as a world leader, and to displace the current world leader.

A Superficial Summary (and commentary) of Countries Military Ranking

As a consequence (partly) of the Ukraine invasion, some "hypothetical" questions are being asked - Can China take Taiwan? If the US comes to Taiwan's aid militarily, or in a straight (military) contest between China and the US, will China prevail or will the US? If Japan gets involved, is it a given that Japan being "smaller" (militarily, territorially, and economically) it will be disadvantaged (at least against China)?

Can China take Vietnam if it wants to? In an Sino-Indian war who will win/lose/prevail/be left standing?

Those are the big questions.

There are slightly smaller questions. Like, would Singapore be able to defend itself against Malaysia? Indonesia? If her bigger neighbours attempt to swallow the "little red dot"?

Multi-Role Combat Vessel - Cos "Mothership" has already been taken

Sept 2023

So while we have wet dreams about Singapore having a (light) aircraft carrier, there are plans to have a Multi-Role Combat Vessel (MRCV), which is a "mothership" for unmanned surface and air assets (drones).

This is a natural evolution for the RSN as more unmanned assets are incorporated into the RSN.

 

"We are NOT Happy!"

 Singapore falls 5 spots to 30th in world happiness ranking but still tops Asia for 2nd straight year

Singapore has been ranked Asia's happiest country for the second year in a row, according to the 2024 World Happiness Report. The country ranked the 30th happiest out of 143 places surveyed, but that's five positions lower than from a year ago. The countries were rated according to six factors: GDP per capita, social support networks, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, charity donations, and perceptions of corruption. Finland topped the global list for the seventh straight year, followed closely by Denmark and Iceland.

Location. Location. Location

One of the conventional wisdom for Singapore's early success was its location.

"Situated at the crossroads" and "gateway to the orient" (so... Singapore is not "orient"?) Singapore's location is key (according to many analyses) to her success.

I would argue that it may be a necessary but insufficient condition.

After all, Penang and Malacca have historically been trading centres as well.

To the south, Bintan and Batam are islands as well placed as Singapore. 

Raffles chose Singapore in part to challenge the Dutch who were in (what is today) Indonesia. 

Did Singapore get Taylor Swift on a Exclusivity contract?

PM Lee answers how SG got Taylor Swift to Singapore. Notice he says "negotiated an arrangement" (0:07) for Swift to perform in Singapore. "And to make Singapore her only stop" (0:10). At about 0:40 PM Lee says "we can't say, 'you will come here only on condition that you will go other places'". Note how uneasy he seems.

So, did Singapore make Swift sign an exclusive arrangement?

"You snooze, you lose"

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour has toured in Japan, and Australia, before the tour came to Singapore.