Last Updated:March 05, 2026, 08:00 IST George Yeo said some in India distrust closer China ties and some in Beijing underestimate India, but it is in New Delhi’s strategic interest to normalise relations Former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo at the Rising Bharat Summit. File image/News18 At a time when global fault lines are sharpening and Asia is recalibrating its balance of power, News18’s Rising Bharat Summit brought together leaders, policymakers, and strategic thinkers from across the world. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi adding political weight and visibility to the gathering, the conversations went well beyond symbolism. They cut to the heart of how India sees itself in a rapidly shifting world order. Among the prominent international voices at the summit was George Yeo, Singapore’s former foreign minister, a longtime observer of Asia’s strategic evolution, and a recipient of the Padma Bhushan. A week after returning to Singapore, Yeo spoke exclusively with News18, offering a Southeast Asian perspective on India’s rise, its uneasy equation with China, and the wider strategic landscape stretching from ASEAN to …