We live in an increasingly divided world. The war which Russia has waged against Ukraine has continued into its second year. The rivalry between the United States and China has escalated to a very dangerous point. An armed conflict between them, possibly over Taiwan, is now within the realm of possibility.

The world is also witnessing a new division between the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia on the one side, and China and Russia on the other.

And yet, despite the thunderous rumblings of these geopolitical storms, three recent developments offer glimmers of hope. What are these “rainbows” that have emerged amid the gloom?

The first rainbow

The first rainbow appeared over Beijing on March 11. On that day, China’s most senior diplomat, Mr Wang Yi, announced to an astonished world that, due to China’s mediation, Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to restore full diplomatic relations, after a hiatus of six years.

This diplomatic achievement is important to the Islamic ummah, to the Middle East and the world. There are many divisions within the family of Islam. The most important division is that between the Sunnis and the Shi’ites. Saudi Arabia, as the guardian of Islam’s two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina, is the leader of the Sunnis. Iran is the leader of the Shi’ites. The rivalry between them had become so heated that Saudi Arabia has, on more than one occasion, declared that Iran posed an existential threat to the kingdom.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are also engaged in proxy wars in Syria and Yemen. The eight-year-old civil war in Yemen has caused widespread death and destruction, leaving over 150,000 people dead and millions displaced.

I hope China will continue with its role as a peacemaker and urge the two countries to stop the war. Both in the Middle East and beyond, there is tension and, sometimes, outright hostility between Sunni and Shi’ite communities. I hope that the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran will lead to an improvement in relations between the two communities.

The second rainbow

The second rainbow appeared over Tokyo on March 16. On that day, the President of South Korea, Mr Yoon Suk-yeol, met the Japanese Prime Minister, Mr Fumio Kishida, in Tokyo. It was the first bilateral summit of the leaders of the two countries in 12 years.

The meeting was extremely productive.

First, Japan agreed to lift export curbs on some high-tech materials to South Korea. South Korea, on its part, agreed to withdraw its complaint against Japan at the World Trade Organisation.

Second, the two countries agreed to revive regular visits by their leaders. Prime Minister Kishida said that such visits would be frequent and informal.

The two leaders also agreed to restart the bilateral security dialogue, which was suspended in 2018. President Yoon declared the complete normalisation of the General Security of Military Information Agreement. This would enable the two countries to exchange intelligence on North Korea.

Mr Kishida said that the two countries would also set up a conference to discuss economic security matters.

Finally, the leading business organisations of Japan and South Korea, the Keidanren and the Federation of Korean Industries, agreed to each set up a fund aimed at building future-oriented relations through joint projects in the areas of politics, economy and culture, and to promote youth exchanges between the two countries.

The third rainbow

The third rainbow also appeared on March 16, this time following the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat.

President Joko Widodo of Indonesia led a powerful delegation to the retreat in Singapore. This will probably be his last retreat as he will step down in 2024. The Singapore delegation was led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Both leaders welcomed the ratification by both countries of three agreements – on defence cooperation, the extradition of fugitives and the realignment of flight information regions.

The Defence Cooperation Agreement is mutually beneficial. The extradition treaty is important to Jakarta’s efforts to bring home for trial Indonesians accused of criminal offences.

The treaty to realign the boundaries of Singapore’s Flight Information Region and Jakarta’s FIR is an excellent example of goodwill and the spirit of mutual accommodation. Although the FIR is not based on sovereignty but on technical efficiency, Indonesia requested and Singapore agreed to adjust the boundaries of the two FIRs. However, Indonesia has agreed to allow Singapore to manage part of the airspace which will fall within Jakarta’s FIR. The two countries will have to make a joint application to the International Civil Aviation Authority to approve the new arrangements.

The two leaders also agreed to deepen cooperation in many areas including the digital economy, sustainability, human capital development as well as in traditional areas such as security.

Both sides signed MOUs to develop infrastructure for renewable energy and cross-border trading of electricity. Another MOU is aimed at deepening networks between Indonesia and Singapore’s tech ecosystems and allowing young tech talent to work in each other’s markets. The Singapore Centre for Liveable Cities and the Indonesian Nusantara National Capital Authority also signed an agreement on knowledge-sharing, capacity building and research. This will be very useful to Indonesia in planning and building its new capital, Nusantara.

The world is becoming more unstable and dangerous. We must not, however, give in to pessimism and fatalism.

As the disparate examples show, it is still possible for countries to cooperate, to promote peace and to work for their mutual prosperity. The three rainbows should be an inspiration to all of us.

 

Professor Tommy Koh is Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Top Photo from Unsplash.