(Or “Typical S’porean attitude: Actions have no consequences”)
China has made an official protest to Singapore over its military ties with Taiwan after nine Singaporean military vehicles were seized in Hong Kong. It’s very own ST, Global Times says “It is no longer reasonable for Singapore to continue … any kind of military exchange with Taiwan.”
Ordinary patriotic S’poreans (not juz PAP bootlickers) other than the China tua kees are shouting that S’pore has always trained in Taiwan and China knows about it, so why the KPKBing by China.
Err why nationalistic S’poreans so cock? Don’t know this isit?
Singapore has strengthened its military ties with the US over the past year, agreeing to boost co-operation on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions as well as cyber-security. Singapore allowed US Poseidon surveillance aircraft to operate from the city-state last December.
And the US had based a naval vessel here that was specifically designed for operations in waters like the South China Sea. The vessel was withdrawn and not replaced.
And Ah Loong* has been pretty noisy about the need for the TPP and rule of law in the South China Sea. Both issues are important to S’pore but were used by the US to maintain US regional hegemony. The US defence secretary said that the TPP was worth to the US the addition of another US aircraft carrier to the US navy
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The US refuses to sign UNCLOS because it refuses to play by the rules of sua kes like the UN and PinoyLand. It reserves the right to do what it thinks is right (Usually this means “Might is right”).
But China did sign up and now refuses to abide by a decision of its highest tribunal. Why so stupid?
So if Ah Loong is genuine and consistent about wanting the rule of law in the South China Sea, he should say that the US is wrong to refuse to rarify UNCLOS.
S’pore has tilted towards the US, China has noticed it (see below) but China cannot change it’s mind isit?
So far I’ve not seem our MSM or social media tell us that the state-owned hawkish Global Times said in an editorial that S’pore was supposed to have suspended its military co-operation with Taiwan in 2012. “However, the recently detained vessel with its cargo of armoured vehicles reveals Singapore’s hypocrisy.”
My toes are laughing
“One thing in Chinese culture is you never forget your old friends … and surely in Chinese culture you appreciate this concept of loyalty to old friends”: Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
Old friends surely don’t allow US Poseidon surveillance aircraft to operate from their homes?
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And really as someone who thinks US global hegemony, is the least bad option (OK, Ok, it’s actually a lot better than the alternatives), I can’t argue with Global Times when it says “For quite some time, Singapore has been pretending to seek a balance between China and the US, yet has been taking Washington’s side in reality.”
Err didn’t realise that China so cock not to realise this until now? That stupid meh?
*For every prime minister like Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, who can provide off-the-cuff a detailed and sophisticated tour d’horizon of the Asia-Pacific region, there is a boorish novice like Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Thoughts of a Cynical Investor 
Hypocrissy, double standards, whatever…….. it is Realpolitik. Chinesische Beobachter, aka the Global Times, should grow up.
[…] – Singapore Daily: Should Singaporeans support petition demanding PM Lee apologize to China? – The Middle Ground: Terrex tank seizure: Hold your fire – My Singapore News: What One China policy means to China Singapore relations? – Thoughts of a Cynical Investor: Double standards: S’pore can change position, China cannot isit? […]
Think the problem here is more of China’s greater expectations on Singapore, and beyond that, simply economics. The “might is not right” comment may not have been the best but it is not way off the mark in any sense. It could also be referring to the US, and does not have to be seen as implying China is at fault. Any number of Southeast Asian states have possibly done worse than us. Our friend Najib was ready to allow spy plane missions even before we did, and has never openly relinquished his claims on the South China Sea, but a bit of money politics, rhetoric is enough to undo that. But we, a “Chinese” nation according to China, are expected to do more for the Dragon.
It is realpolitik as Chris Kuan has pointed out. Cybernuts as always, need to shut the hell up. The China Tua Kees are advocating we kowtow, the others appear to be pushing for a tit for tat response. Shit stirrers are pointing to how China is “plotting our decline” with its other investments in the region, without understanding that China does what is best for China and not because it has some dark desire to do us in. None of them are good responses to be honest and it really goes to show how we can’t let cybernuts dictate anything.
Global Times will do what it does however. For such a large country, we cannot expect there to not be a wide variety of media taking different tones. It is a website catering to hardcore China nationalists. The government’s stance is usually a watered down version of what Global Times suggests. Would urge people not to take it too seriously. Besides, was there really any agreement to stop Taiwan training in 2012?
when our Foreign Minister is one that questions how much do the poor want to eat in Parliament, I seriously do not think that we have the soft skills to solve this type of issue.
A political solution cannot be found through a rule book which our govt always like to use.
So the problem may become a bigger problem.
Averageguysg is absolutely correct – the shrillness of the China reaction to Singapore has much more to do with Chinese ethno-nationalism which in its warped reasoning expect all Chinese regardless of nationality to be aligned with if not sympathetic China.
I was talking to some PRC colleagues. I said you know, Singapore is actually really supportive of China. We’ve never gotten involved in any pro independence rhetoric in terms of Taiwan, nor have we partaked in any pro democracy stuff in Hong Kong. You wanna talk about “traitorous” behaviour, you got plenty on your hands in these territories.
They said gotta understand the mindset. China sees Taiwan and HK as wayward children who need discipline, but ultimately are part of the family. Singapore is a distant relative and are thus held to higher standards.
And that’s what it is. I see “commentators” like Andrew Loh lamenting that we ought to have LKY still alive to talk “tough” to China. Lol. I think given the current geopolitics LKY would have to come up with a different approach as well. It kinda explains why all these local “internet politicians” really live in their own worlds and think their incessant banging away on the keyboard should be taken seriously. AL by the way was also on the Trump insulting bandwagon and seemingly cocksure of a Clinton win.
Just to add on to Chris and averageguysg
this article summarize very well on China expectation on all ethnic Chinese ard the world
http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21710264-worlds-rising-superpower-has-particular-vision-ethnicity-and-nationhood-has