In a case study on Singapore, the Hoover Institution report says that when the Republic took on the three-year stint as Asean country coordinator in 2016, Chinese diplomats tried to convince Singapore to "explain" China's position on the South China Sea to other Asean countries, or to ensure that the issue was not raised in Asean forums, or, if raised, downplayed.

Such demarches have been routine in all Asean countries for many years, the report says.