How to Tell Hard Truths

What a week on Asia’s geopolitical dance floor.

In Vietnam, newly minted Communist Party Secretary-General To Lam wasted no time showing off his diplomatic footwork.

He swiftly called on the US to initiate trade talks following US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff threat, winning praise from Vietnamese citizens and business leaders for his timely, proactive and “reasoned” approach, before turning around to roll out the red carpet in Hanoi for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Southeast Asian tour this week.

Message received: Vietnam’s playing it smart — and keeping its options open.

Meanwhile in Singapore, just before the 3 May General Election was officially called for this week — plunging the country into full-on election fever — Prime Minister Lawrence Wong delivered two standout speeches that echoed far beyond its borders.

His addresses — one in Parliament, the other in a direct video message to citizens — tackled the US tariffs and the unravelling of the global trading system with remarkable clarity and composure.

Trade experts, diplomats, and policy wonks around the world praised Wong’s response as bold, strategic, and refreshingly clear-eyed.

For those of us in Asia tracking the shifting sands of global power, it struck a chord. And it offered a glimpse of what modern leadership under pressure looks like.

What happened?

Here’s a quick recap:

🔶 Who: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong delivered his first major crisis speech since taking office: a ministerial statement in Parliament on April 8, 2025, addressing Singapore’s position in response to new US tariffs. This came a few days after he uploaded a video on April 4, where he outlined some of the potential dangers and consequences of Trump’s Tariffs, and warned Singaporeans of "more shocks" to come.

🔶 What: The United States introduced sweeping trade tariffs under its “Liberation Day” initiative — including a blanket 10% tariff on nearly all imports from Singapore, despite our FTA and trade deficit with the US.

🔶 Why it matters: Wong’s speech marked a defining moment in Singapore’s foreign policy stance. He called out the US for abandoning the very rules-based multilateral trade system it had built. Wong warned of a more fragmented and unstable world order — and laid out how Singapore must adapt, collaborate, and lead with resilience in the face of global uncertainty.

Read the full transcript of Wong’s Parliament speech here

Here’s what stood out to me, and what every modern leader (not just heads of state) can learn about how to show up in a crisis:

1. He called a spade a spade — with diplomacy and steel.

Wong didn’t tiptoe around the issue. He called the US move what it was: not reform, but abandonment. Without hyperbole or theatrics, he laid bare what many diplomats have been saying behind closed doors: that the era of rules-based trade is over, and the age of economic nationalism has begun. Yet his tone stayed grounded, composed, and prepared — not panicked.

🔶 Takeaway: Strong leadership sometimes means saying what others won’t, but doing it with precision and calm authority. People can handle bad news, if you deliver it with care.

2. He reaffirmed Singapore’s values, unapologetically

Wong drew a firm line in the sand: Singapore remains committed to a free, open, and rules-based world.

He wasn’t antagonistic. But he made it clear that we won’t just fall in line with protectionist powers, even when they’re global giants. It’s rare to see such confident articulation of values in geopolitics, especially from a small state. As he uttered the words “do not fear” in Parliament, he thumped the rostrum— a physical punctuation to an otherwise composed delivery.

🔶 Takeaway: In a world where even superpowers are shifting their stance, small countries (and companies) need to lead with clarity and conviction about what they stand for.

3. He subtly shifted the narrative from dependence to resilience

Wong didn’t beg or placate. He acknowledged the tariffs, and then calmly reminded the world that Singapore has options.

“We will identify other partners to join us and work around this, to ensure resilience and maintain critical parts of the multilateral system, while laying the foundations for a possible new and different global system that can be achievable later,” he said. Translation: the US is not the only game in town.

🔶 Takeaway: It was a strategic flex — not through retaliation, but through quiet confidence. A masterful reframe from scarcity to agency.

4. He skipped the jargon

He spoke like a human, not a technocrat.

No “pivot to multipolarity”. No “decoupling dynamics”. Wong took a complex, highly volatile geopolitical situation, and explained it with clarity and restraint. From WTO rules to historical context, even the Smoot-Hawley Act, you could follow his logic even without an economics degree.

🔶 Takeaway: Accessibility is credibility. Especially in a crisis, leaders who speak plainly cut through the noise and earn trust.

5. He made geopolitics personal

Wong didn’t just talk macro trends. He translated them into real-world consequences: slower growth, fewer jobs, possible recession. Then he laid out what the government was already doing — and what more might come — from SkillsFuture support to a new economic taskforce.

Across the speeches, Wong used “we” over a dozen times, and “I” just a handful of times, mostly to frame institutional continuity or direct responsibility. That subtle rhetorical choice positioned him alongside Singaporeans, not above them.

🔶 Takeaway: Abstract threats don’t mobilise people. Show them what it means for their jobs, businesses, and lives — and what you’re doing about it.

💡 The Big Takeaway

At a time when many leaders are shouting over each other, Lawrence Wong delivered statements that resonated because he balanced sharp economic analysis with plainspoken clarity and emotional intelligence.

It had a quiet strength that makes the world sit up and pay attention — even when you're a small state in a loud, chaotic world.

It is the kind of leadership that we need in a world shifting towards protectionism and uncertainty: leadership that is measured, values-driven, and honest about hard things, while still holding space for courage and community.

For those of us advising or becoming leaders in this new global order, it’s a timely reminder to:

🔶 Say less, mean more.
🔶 Stand for something.
🔶 Don’t mistake volume for strength.

Because leadership, especially in turbulent times, is often defined not by how loud you are, but how clear you are. And how much you mean it.

📖 What else I’m reading:

• Of bak chor mee and ballot boxes: Can politicians win hearts with hawker food? — The Straits Times

• US congressional speeches are getting less evidence-based over time — New Scientist

• Speeches in Britain’s Parliament are getting shorter—and worse — The Economist

• Most Iconic Speeches and Mic Drop Moments of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy — Prestige