{
  "id": 5084505,
  "title": "Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan: Small states are stronger when we work together",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/foreign-minister-vivian-balakrishnan-small-states-are-stronger-when",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-02T12:01:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Independent Singapore",
    "slug": "the-independent-singapore",
    "url": "https://theindependent.sg/foreign-minister-vivian-balakrishnan-small-states-are-stronger-when-we-work-together/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan attended the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau from August 31 to September 1. In a social post, he emphasized that small states are stronger when they collaborate. Singapore and Pacific partners share common interests and challenges as fellow small island nations, he wrote. The annual summit, which brings together leaders from 18 member states, allowed Balakrishnan to reaffirm Singapore's partnership and meet with the heads of Palau, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, and others. Australia's Minister for Climate Change and Energy, and New Zealand's Minister of Foreign Affairs, were also present.\n\nBalakrishnan discussed capacity-building programs in leadership, governance, financial management, artificial intelligence for governance, and public service transformation. He highlighted several issues facing Singapore and Pacific Island nations, including climate change, sustainable development, and navigating an increasingly volatile world. Discussions on renewable energy and energy security were also held.\n\nThe Minister expressed strong support for international law, effective multilateralism, and strong regional institutions, stating that these allow smaller nations to have a greater voice and agency. With almost 10,000 individuals from Pacific nations attending capacity-building programs in Singapore, he emphasized the importance of ASEAN Chairmanship in 2027 for strengthening links between ASEAN and the Pacific. However, he acknowledged that vital regional unity has been questioned due to the absence of five top Pacific leaders and differing alliances with powerful nations like China, making consensus harder to achieve.",
  "summary": "\"As ASEAN Chair in 2027, Singapore looks forward to strengthening links between ASEAN and the Pacific, so that our regions can work even more closely together in an increasingly uncertain world,\" h... This article ( Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan: Small states are stronger when we work together ) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}