Lee Kuan Yew and art of diplomacy

US President Barack Obama meets with then Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Oct 29, 2009. [Photo/IC]

He also said that he saw the Chinese striving to keep the country's eastern seaboard free from American spying, as the Americans were at present able to come as close as 12 miles from the Chinese coast and look in.

"Just imagine the reverse. If the Chinese navy and air force - its aircraft carriers - were to come that close to the American coast, the Americans would find it intolerable. They would never allow it. So you can imagine how the Chinese feel," Lee said in the book, which Lee completed with help of the staff from Straits Times newspaper.

But Lee also insisted on the presence of the United States in the region to balance the influence of China; he even warned Japan and India to be aware of China’s rise, and that Singapore can "try to maximize the space we have to maneuver among the big ' trees' in the region."