新加坡对自己的主权非常自豪，所有身体健全的成年男性都必须服兵役两年左右。他们学会适应严格的军事纪律，保持体形以保持战备状态，并以一种有凝聚力的方式与一个由各种背景的公民组成的团队合作，无论贫富。
Despite its small size, Singapore can boast of having a strong armed forces that can stand up to adversaries if necessary. Singapore's independence is deeply rooted in the hearts of its citizens, which allows them to remain neutral without fear of the possible negative consequences of taking such a stance.
尽管国土面积小，但新加坡拥有一支值得夸耀的强大的武装部队，可以在必要时对抗对手。新加坡的独立深深扎根于其公民的心中，这使得他们可以保持中立，而不必担心采取这种立场可能带来的负面后果。
As a result, Chinese companies and investors are thriving in Singapore, but Americans enjoy the same privileges. If Singapore takes sides between Beijing and Washington, it will lose out in international deals.
因此，中国公司和投资者在新加坡蓬勃发展，但美国人也享受着同样的特权。如果新加坡在北京和华盛顿之间站队，它将在国际交易中吃亏。
The late Apple founder Steve Jobs was once asked why he never disclosed the political organizations he donated to or told Americans whether he voted Democratic or Republican. He responded that if he disclosed his political leanings, Apple would lose half of its customer base.
已故的苹果公司创始人史蒂夫·乔布斯曾经被问到，为什么他从来没有披露过他捐赠的政治组织，也没有告诉美国人他是投票给民主党还是共和党。他回应说，如果他披露自己的政治倾向，苹果将失去一半的客户群。
That's a good answer for a businessman. If Jobs had said he was a Republican, Democrats would have boycotted Apple, and vice versa. The same is true of Singapore when it comes to Sino-US diplomatic tussles.
这对商人来说是个好答案。如果乔布斯说他是共和党人，民主党人就会抵制苹果，反之亦然。在中美外交角力方面，新加坡也是如此。
Singapore is a cosmopolitan city-state that welcomes foreign businesses from all over the world. Indians can open a clothing store in the city-state and Pakistani retailers can do the same. Local government officials simply insisted that foreigners remain peaceful and not attack others because of religious, ethnic or racial differences.
新加坡是一个国际化的城市国家，欢迎来自世界各地的外国企业。印度人可以在这个城市国家开一家服装店，巴基斯坦零售商也可以这样做。当地政府官员只是坚持要求外国人保持和平，不要因为宗教、民族或种族差异而攻击他人。
Singapore welcomes people of different backgrounds, religions, countries and races to live together in peace, and that is why Singapore is so successful.We can learn about Singapore's model of diplomatic neutrality through an article from Channel NewsAsia:
新加坡欢迎不同背景、不同宗教、不同国家、不同种族的人和平共处，这就是新加坡如此成功的原因。我们可以通过亚洲新闻频道的一篇文章来了解新加坡外交中立模式：
According to Channel News Asia, Mr Chan said that looking overseas, as Singapore's hinterland, it is necessary for us to better connect with the world and access resources and markets.
据亚洲新闻频道报道:陈振聪表示，放眼海外，作为新加坡的腹地，我们有必要更好地与世界接轨，获取资源和市场。
This means expanding the market portfolio to spread risk and moving beyond the traditional dimensions of air, land and sea connectivity into areas such as data, finance, talent and technology.
这意味着扩大市场组合以分散风险，并超越空中、陆地和海上连通的传统维度，进入数据、金融、人才和技术等领域。
He added that as global production and supply chains shift, Singapore must remain agile to adapt to these changes.
他补充说，随着全球生产和供应链的转变，新加坡必须保持敏捷，以适应这些变化。”
Singapore's Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing explained the city-state's strict neutrality in May 2018.
新加坡贸易和工业部长陈振声在2018年5月解释了这个城市国家的严格中立。
Therefore, Singapore should not side with Beijing or Washington, which may be beneficial to many other countries. The city-state could act as a mediator, resolving diplomatic disputes and bringing peace to Asia and the world.
因此，新加坡不应该站在北京或华盛顿一边，这可能对许多其他国家有利。这个城邦可以扮演调停者的角色，解决外交争端，为整个亚洲乃至世界带来和平。
新加坡网友詹姆斯•吴的回答
Singapore continues to exist only because it adheres to the global order of the Westphalian system, which is based on territorial sovereignty regardless of its size. In other words, a small country like Singapore cannot exist in an unprincipled world where might makes right. Singapore is divided by treaty, not geography or a long history.
新加坡继续存在，只是因为它遵守威斯特伐利亚体系的全球秩序，该体系的基础是领土主权，而不论其大小。换句话说，像新加坡这样的小国不可能在一个强权即公理的无原则世界中存在。新加坡是由条约划分的，而不是地理位置或悠久的历史。
Internationally, Singapore has always been a principled nation, with an extraordinary voice as a small island nation of six million people. We are honest and thoughtful realists with a long-term vision.
在国际上，新加坡一直是一个有原则的国家，作为一个拥有600万人口的小岛国，新加坡有着非凡的发言权。我们是诚实和深思熟虑的现实主义者，有长远的眼光。
Neutrality provides room for diplomatic maneuverability and flexibility. We don't have to bind our foreign policy strictly to the whims of great powers like America's Allies. Japan and South Korea have greatly benefited from US protection, but, as President Trump has shown, they could be subject to blackmail. An alliance with any one power could undermine our freedom of action in domestic and foreign policy.
中立性为外交上的可操作性和灵活性提供了空间。我们不必把我们的外交政策严格地束缚在像美国盟友这样的大国的心血来潮中。日本和韩国从美国的保护中受益匪浅，但正如特朗普总统所表现的那样，它们可能受到勒索。与任何一个大国结盟都可能损害我们在内政和外交政策上的行动自由。
Protecting country has influence over us and can dictate to us. And you don't want nasty westerners lecturing us on human rights and democracy, do you? Nor do we want to become a vassal state of China and part of the "Greater China region," as so many sadly misguided ultranationalists believe.
保护国会对我们有影响力，可以向我们发号施令。你也不想让讨厌的西方人在人权和民主问题上教化我们，对吧?我们也不想成为中国的附属国，成为“大中华区”的一部分，就像许多可悲的误入歧途的极端民族主义者所认为的那样。
Staying neutral allows us to get the maximum economic and security benefits from both powers. I've heard it called "strategic ." In fact, I think a certain amount of U.S.-China competition is good for small countries like ours. The balance of power is a good thing because it creates strategic space for us. Small countries exist in the gap between big countries. When great powers collude, look at the partition of Poland, etc.
保持中立使我们能够从两个大国那里获得最大的经济和安全利益。我听说这被称为“战略性外交”。事实上，我认为一定程度的美中竞争对我们这样的小国是有好处的。力量平衡是一件好事，因为它为我们创造了战略空间。小国在大国之间的夹缝中生存。当大国勾结时，看看瓜分波兰，等等。
