Both the US and China have continued to approach the Asean nations in a «careful, deliberate and constructive way», and neither of them are forcing the member states to choose sides, said Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.«They know Asean's priorities,» added Dr Balakrishnan in an interview with the media on Thursday (July 23), as he wrapped up a five-day visit to Manila for the 59th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related meetings.Dr Balakrishnan responded candidly when asked how Singapore navigates its relationships with Asean's major dialogue partners — including the US, China and Russia — while preserving Asean's neutrality and centrality.«Let's deal with the elephant in the room — the US and China contestation. I think to their credit, both of them are trying to approach this in a careful, deliberate, and constructive way.»In particular, I would say I'm glad that at least at this point in time, neither of them are forcing us to choose sides." Read more