Terrex Lesson - Kicking a hard ball

The ball looked pretty, like a football, very tempting. Someone went ahead and kicked. 'Ouch, it's a hard ball', so hard that it almost broke his leg. This practically sums up the Terrex Incident. Any lesson learnt, or anything good came out from it?

Going back to pre incident day and just read the media and the numerous and almost daily anti China articles would tell a story. Then there was the Rajaratnam School lashing out at China on the South China Sea issue and the chest thumping that Singapore was going to punch anyone regardless of size and power.

Read the news today and the glorious reporting of China's economic activities and infrastructure development in the BRI and compare the difference. Incidentally when one reads about China, it is all about trade, economic activities and infrastructure development. When one reads about the USA, it is about wars, threats of wars, sanctions, warnings and selling of weapons of mass destruction, etc etc. The bankrupt evil Empire has nothing else to contribute to world peace except wars.

The media is also bustling with news about how good China Singapore relations are, a stark contrast to the pre Terrex days when Singapore was snubbing and rubbing at China all over the place. No?

It looks like Singapore has sat down and took a relook at its strategic position and reviewed its policies towards China and how it should go forward. The policies of snuggling closely with the Americans continues and allowing the devil to compromise Singapore’s neutral position could not be the same anymore. The Americans did not need to manipulate or pressure Singapore to be nice and good to the Americans. That is what Sun Tsu's highest state of the Art of War. No need to fight the enemy, the enemy willingly surrender itself, prostrate itself to be screwed.

Singapore's policies towards China has taken a dramatic turn for the better, hopefully, at least that is what you read in the media and what the ministers are saying. How true is this, only time will tell. What is real is that Singapore cannot advance and grow economically without China. Being left out in the cold by China is an economic disaster for Singapore. No country could give Singapore a lift economically other than China. This is the positive outcome of the Terrex Incident.

The Terrex Incident has forced Singapore to start thinking again after falling into complacency that all is well with or without China. After putting everything down to brass tack, Singapore's teeny weeny economy that has no growth engine other than raising property prices and dumping the island with more foreigners will go into depression if it does not tag along with the Chinese economic train. The biggest economic growth engine today is China. Running foul with China is a no go.

Hence today we are seeing a 180 degree turn in Singapore China relations. The so called think tank schools that were walloping China thinking that they could behave like backlane gangsters have been asked to shut up. At least that is what I think is happening. No more cocky and thoughtless remarks of a school boy bullies wanting to challenge China to a fight.

Something good did come out from kicking a hard rock in the Terrex Incident. It jolted Singapore from its snoozing to realise the world has changed and it is time to wake up to face the reality. The big question, has enough damage been done that it is too late to change the direction of a ULCC.

The current visit to China by Hsien Loong and his team and the high level reception, the meetings with all the who’s who in China is telling a story that China wants to put everything aside and start anew. This is a new moment of truth. Would Singapore squander it again? It is does, there will be no return road.

What would follow in Hsien Loong’s meeting with Trump is interesting to watch. Trump is going to pressure Hsien Loong to do his will. Would Hsien Loong buckle or continue to be a willing partner to the evil Empire and its evil deeds of inciting wars, provoking wars, threats of wars and conducting wars? Would Trump twist Hsien Loong’s hands in Singapore’s relations with China or would Hsien Loong be telling Trump that Singapore would not be pressured by external powers, including the USA, to do what is not in the interest of Singapore?

China would be watching the visit very closely.