'Considerable risk' of severe US-China tensions: Singapore PM

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said that a clash between the US and China is more likely than it was five years ago.

However, he maintained that the odds of military conflict are "not yet high", reports the BBC.

The prime minister said if both nations continue to take a hard line because of domestic considerations, they could easily find themselves at an impasse.

The Biden administration will hold its first high-level talks with Chinese officials in Alaska next week.

Lee was reluctant to give advice to China but noted its political direction had sparked tensions with nations big and small.

"There is significant uncertainty [and] anxiety over which way China is going and whether this will be good for them," he told BBC World News' Talking Business Asia programme.

"I do not think that is in China's interest."The Singaporean leader's views on the US-China relationship are often sought, as the tiny island nation plays an outsized role economically and in terms of political influence in the region.

The US is a major security partner for the city state and is also the biggest investor in Singapore, far out-stripping any other country's contribution.

Meanwhile, China is Singapore's largest export market and, like much of Asia, Singapore's economy has benefited from China's rise.