Definition: In this task, you're given a statement and three sentences as choices. Your job is to determine the neutral choice based on your inference from the statement and your commonsense knowledge. The neutral choice is a sentence that neither agrees nor disagrees with the statement. Indicate your answer as '1', '2', or '3', corresponding to the choice number of the selected sentence. If sentence X agrees with sentence Y, one's correctness follows from the other one. If sentence X disagrees with sentence Y, they can not be correct at the same time.
Input: Statement: After the painful experience of the American Revolution, the EIC conducting business from the islands of Penang and Singapore epitomized the British policy of insulating colonies from local politics. Choices: 1. The British sought to engage the colonies in local politics in order to guarantee their loyalty through devolved rule. 2. The British tried to keep the colonies separate from local politics. 3. The British were wary of an American-style Malaysian War of Independence.

3