At 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Lawrence Wong was sworn in as Singapore’s prime minister, taking over the reins from long-serving Lee Hsien Loong. The transition, after two years of preparation and planning, marked the beginning of the fourth generation of leadership — termed 4G — of the island nation since independence.
On social media, the 51-year-old described himself as a “bookworm, guitar player and dog lover,” frequently sharing photos of him eating at Singapore’s bustling hawker centers, interacting with animals, and spending time with his 16-year-old dog, Summer. Media reports have described Wong as a “team player,” “a quiet go-getter,” “a persistent doer” and a “highly relatable political leader,” quoting people close to him.
In a written interview with Caixin in January 2023, Wong said he saw himself as a “servant leader,” explaining that “my role is not just to lead, but to serve my country and my fellow citizens.”
He emphasized that Singapore’s model of political leadership relies on the team, where every member of the team complements one another and contributes. “As leader of the team, I will strive to bring out [the] best from the entire team so that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts,” he added.
In Singapore’s political succession hierarchy, Wong is considered a “dark horse,” after being thrust into the spotlight three years ago when the previously selected leader of Singapore’s 4G team Heng Swee Keat voluntarily relinquished his eligibility as successor due to his age.
Having grown up in a grassroots environment with a technocratic background, Wong had not been particularly prominent in the political arena until the Covid-19 pandemic. Before stepping into the new role, Wong was named deputy prime minister in 2022 and finance minister in 2021.
Following the prime ministerial handover Wednesday, Wong will also lead the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) into the next Singaporean parliamentary elections, which observers predict may be held before the end of this year.
As a leader with a populist image and little public controversy, the party may hope Wong can attract traditionally apathetic voters. In the last election in 2020, the PAP faced setbacks, securing only 61% of the vote, an almost 9-percentage-point drop from the previous election.
On April 15, when the official handover date was confirmed, Wong wrote on his X account that “I accept this responsibility with humility and a deep sense of duty. I pledge to give you my all in this undertaking.”
Covid boost
In the same X post published one month before taking the helm, Wong recalled how he entered politics in 2011 with the simple intention of “contributing to the Singapore story,” never imagining that one day he would be appointed prime minister.
However, a former colleague from the Ministry of Finance, Donald Low, recognized Wong’s potential early on, recalling his capabilities and relatable personality.
“Among the cohort that entered parliament in 2011, I thought he was the most likely to make prime minister. Not only did he have the requisite technical credentials, but I thought he was also the most personable, approachable and relatable among his peers in the PAP,” said Low, according to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
His rise to prominence in Singapore and beyond began in 2020, when he became co-chair of the country’s Multi-Ministry Taskforce managing the Covid pandemic.
He began to appear regularly at media briefings, earning respect from the public with his detailed and patient explanations of pandemic control measures. Under the joint direction of Wong and his peers, Singapore made a smooth transition from a “zero-Covid” approach to “coexistence.”
When the epidemic first hit Singapore, Wong choked up at one point in a speech to parliament, tearfully thanking the frontline workers, including medical and nursing staff, a rare display of emotion in Singaporean politics.
“During Covid, many Singaporeans came to appreciate his steady leadership in steering the country through that crisis. He seemed to step naturally into the role of building consensus and communicating policy,” Lionel Yeo, a former colleague from the Ministry of Finance, said in the SCMP report.
Analysts also highlighted that throughout his political career, Wong has consistently demonstrated a steadfast and unflinching attitude when addressing tough issues.
In 2021, amid a heated debate on whether “Chinese privilege” exists in a majority-Chinese Singapore, Wong called for “mutual accommodation, trust and compromise” while suggesting that minority groups to continue to speak up.
“We should be upfront and honest about the racialised experiences various groups feel, and deal squarely with them,” he said when delivering a speech on multiracialism at a forum, according to a transcript from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
Grassroots beginnings
Born in 1972, Wong is Singapore’s first prime minister born after the city-state declared independence in 1965.
Unlike previous leaders such as the late founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew and his son, Lee Hsien Loong, Wong does not come from a prestigious family. His father was a roofing materials sales manager, and his mother a teacher. He has an older brother who is an aerospace engineer.
Wong previously recalled that his father left his hometown in China’s southern island of Hainan in the 1940s to help his grandfather, who was a chef in then Malaya. As a child, Wong grew up in Marine Parade, a coastal area in southeastern Singapore, living in public housing.
As an adult, Wong travelled to the U.S., where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and master’s in the same subject from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. He also holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.
In Wong’s view, this background instilled in him the same values and beliefs behind his nation’s success and that many young Singaporeans hold: meritocracy, zero tolerance for corruption, racial harmony, tripartite collaboration, and the pursuit of common ground in a diverse society.
“My background is what it is. If it’s helpful if it makes it more relatable to Singaporeans, so much the better,” said Wong in a recent interview with The Economist, adding that Singaporeans are “discerning and wise voters,” who will hold him and his team accountable for delivering on issues that matter to them, including improving their lives and the lives of their children.
Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh, a classmate of Wong’s at Harvard, described him as a mild-mannered individual who did not exhibit a “politician’s swagger” often seen in other elite school peers, according to the SCMP report.
During his university years, Wong was a music enthusiast, playing guitar and performing jazz and rock songs on the streets with his roommates.
His musical talents have also come in handy in diplomatic settings. Wong and then-Malaysian Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz played a duet in 2022, with Wong using a Malaysian-made guitar and Tengku Zafrul playing one made in Singapore.
This March, when American pop star Taylor Swift performed in Singapore, her only stop in Southeast Asia of her Eras Tour in 2024, Wong posted a video on social media playing her hit song “Love Story” on guitar.
Before entering politics, Wong held various positions in Singapore’s public sector, epitomizing the technocratic bureaucrat.
His public service career began as an economist at the Ministry of Trade and Industry in 1997. Wong later joined the Ministry of Finance, assisting then-Finance Minister Lee Hsien Loong with his first budget. Wong was later appointed as principal private secretary to then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in 2005, a position he held for three years.
He then headed Singapore’s Energy Market Authority, leading innovative projects such as electric vehicle trials and smart grid technology, and promoting the liquefied natural gas initiative.
It was not until 2011, at age 38, that Wong transitioned from a civil servant to a politician, winning a seat in parliament. He has since served as minister of culture, community and youth, minister of national development and minister of education.
Navigating political waters
As the new leader of Singapore’s ruling PAP, Wong’s principal political challenge is maintaining the party's dominance and securing a credible political mandate from the electorate.
With his approachable and pragmatic image, Wong’s ability to effectively address the increasingly complex and diverse demands of voters before the next elections, and to garner support from the politically indifferent populace, has been widely noted. Amid an economic slowdown, rising living costs, an aging population, contentious immigration policies, and social inequalities, these challenges are unavoidable for Wong.
In June 2022, as the designated leader of the fourth-generation leadership, Wong initiated the Forward Singapore movement nationwide, inviting public suggestions to refresh the nation’s social compact.
In the interview with Caixin in January 2023, he elaborated that the movement aimed at expanding opportunities for all Singaporeans, especially for vulnerable groups, and for them to sustain solidarity with each other.
Wong emphasizes the importance of maintaining high societal trust in Singapore, “a small, multi-racial society,” as it acts as the glue for social cohesion. He warned that “the stakes are high because if our social compact fails, then Singapore will surely fracture.”
Compared to other prime ministerial contenders, Heng Swee Keat and Chan Chun Sing, Wong’s political career has primarily focused on domestic affairs, showing less experience in foreign diplomacy. The international community is interested in how Wong will navigate increasingly intense geopolitical tensions, thereby continuing and expanding Singapore’s international influence.
In the May interview with The Economist, Wong cautioned about the implications of America’s restrictive export policies — so-called “small yard, high fences” — against China on national security grounds, indicating that excessively insular policies could lead to “technological bifurcation,” harming not only Singapore but also the U.S. and the global economy.
He stressed that nations “have to care about” using economic and financial tools for geopolitical purposes, noting that it could have “profound implications” for the global economy if not managed carefully.
Wong also reiterated Singapore’s longstanding position of upholding a “One China Policy” and opposing Taiwanese independence. “We do not allow ourselves to be made use of for any causes supporting Taiwanese independence,” he said.
China-Singapore relations
Following his nomination as the successor for the prime ministerial post, Wong embarked on a series of diplomatic visits, traveling to China twice in 2023, in May and December.
During his December visit, Wong and his delegation held meetings in Beijing with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Vice Premier He Lifeng, and in Tianjin, he co-chaired the China-Singapore Bilateral Cooperation and related Joint Steering Council meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang.
On Dec. 6, Premier Li met with Wong in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Li remarked that 2023 was a significant year for China-Singapore relations, highlighting the upgrade of the bilateral relationship that was elevated to an all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership. He noted that bilateral cooperation across various sectors had effectively progressed, bringing new vigor and fresh vitality.
Li expressed that looking ahead, China stands ready to work with Singapore to follow the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, and view bilateral relations from regional and global perspectives. He emphasized maintaining high-level strategic mutual trust, advancing high-quality and mutually beneficial cooperation to better benefit the two peoples and make greater contributions to regional stability and prosperity.
Li also highlighted China’s readiness to continue high-level exchanges with Singapore, deepen the alignment of development strategies, and take the opportunity of further upgrading the free trade agreement to promote the upgrading of China-Singapore cooperation, achieve more results in digital economy, green development, financial services, ocean energy utilization and other fields.
He stressed the importance of advancing the building of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, strengthening people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and continuing to lead in high-quality cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative.
Wong acknowledged the sound momentum in China-Singapore relations under the guidance of both countries’ leaders. He stated that Singapore highly values its relationship with China and is keen to deepen high-level interactions and pragmatic cooperation in trade, investment, green development, and the digital economy.
He expressed Singapore’s commitment to playing a constructive role in maintaining regional peace, stability, and development, and to continuously advancing their comprehensive, high-quality, forward-looking partnership.
Zeng Jia contributed to the story.
Contact reporters Kelly Wang (jingzhewang@caixin.com) and Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)
