Trojan Horses and Little USAs, got difference meh?

The South China Sea dispute has led to the often quipped terms in the lips of the protagonists like Trojan Horses and Little USAs. Both terms are unique in their origins, from Singapore or by Singaporeans. You don’t hear them being repeated by leaders, diplomats or analysts from other Asean countries, not even from the USA. And the way the terms were used, especially Trojan Horses, came with very strong negative connotations.

What about the term Little USAs, are there any negative connotations? It depends on where the person using it is coming from. This term first appeared in an article by Simon Tay. He put it politely and tried not to ruffle feathers knowing where the sensitivity is.

What does the term Trojan Horses mean?  No guessing, it means exactly in the same way as the Trojan Horse of Troy. It means those countries in Asean that were labeled as Trojan Horses of China were the agents of China and out to protect China’s interest in the South China Sea and to harm Asean.

What about Little USAs? Actually Little USAs and Trojan Horses are terms that meant the same thing and doing the same thing, serving their masters and working to protect the interests of their masters. If one is ugly, the other is just as hideous.

The Trojan Horses have been named as Laos and Cambodia. What about the Little USAs, who are they or which countries are the Little USAs or Trojan Horses of the USA? A clue, not the Philippines, not Vietnam. They are open in opposing China and siding with the USA.

While there will be Little USAs versus Trojan Horses to support their masters, Singapore’s relations with China is on the mend with Hsien Loong and Xi Jinping saying that there might be differences but these should not be allowed to affect the strong bilateral ties. So, would Singapore’s civil servants still be allowed to accuse China of trying to divide and rule Asean? Or would they be allowed to call China’s friends Trojan Horses?  If these would continue, then Singapore is really punching above its weight, a class of its own, and China just got to accept it and take the bollocking as sign of strong bilateral relations.