THE defeat of China’s candidate for director-general of a key United Nations (UN) specialized agency — the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) — was a triumph for Singapore, with Daren Tang becoming the first Singaporean ever to be nominated for the leadership position of a UN agency.

It was also a victory for the United States, which had lobbied hard for Tang against the Chinese nominee, Wang Binying. Washington made clear that it was strongly opposed to WIPO falling under the control of a Chinese. The 55-to-28 vote was a stunning setback for China.