What One China policy means to China Singapore relations?

The Terrex incident could be over with China returning the vehicles according to international shipping law. No big fuss. It was a matter of documentation and proper papers. What is important is the new China Singapore relationship following the protest or representation by the Chinese Foreign Ministry following this incident, that Singapore must abide by the rule of law and the One China policy. This means that Singapore, for recognizing that there is only one China, cannot have govt to govt or official relations with Taiwan.

What does this mean to Singapore? If Singapore wants to abide by the One China policy, Singapore would henceforth have to terminate all training and official contacts with Taiwan. This is indeed 伤脑筋。It is not easy to dismantle the training facilities and equipment in Taiwan and to relocate them elsewhere if Singapore is to abide by this One China Policy requirement. Singapore has converted every bit of land into housing estates and nothing is left for the military and to conduct their training. Singapore is now beholden to countries that could offer us land for military training and to house our military hardware and soldiers.

With the land constraint, a self inflicted wound for wanting to grow the population recklessly, would Singapore play it tough and take a diplomatic U turn by not recognizing the One China policy to keep its training facilities in Taiwan? But by doing so it would have to cut diplomatic relations with China which means all official contacts and govt to govt businesses in China would be terminated except people to people or non govt businesses.

China is giving Singapore a choice, an ultimatum. Singapore would have to decide which way to go. It can’t have the cake and eat it this time unless it can come up with a legal interpretation that Singapore did not violate the One China policy by having military training facilities in Taiwan and official relations with the Taiwanese govt.  The legal expertise of Shanmugam would be very handy in this case. How about the one who interpreted that inside the centre is not within 200 metres from the centre? Or maybe can go to the Tribunal at The Hague for an interpretation that is legal and binding. If The Hague can call an island as big as Taiping a coral reef, I am sure they would know how to interpret the One China policy to favour Singapore. And once again Singapore can tell China to abide by the international ruling of the court that is UN backed and legal and binding.

Another way out is to quote the USA. The USA also recognizes the One China policy but has a defence agreement to defend Taiwan. This American fork tongue behavior is also called American Exceptionalism. Could Singapore use this exception to justify its use of training facilities in Taiwan? Can Singapore also call itself an exceptional country like the Americans and can do anything it wants?

This new development would need a Uniquely Singapore solution but not sure if it works in the context of international relations and whether China would lamely accept such an interpretation and situation.

How is Singapore going to wrangle itself out of this conundrum?  Would Vivian with the help of Shanmugam, come up on top and dismiss the Chinese protest or representation as baseless and life goes on as normal, with SAF training unaffected in Taiwan?

The bottom line, Singapore must now choose between China or Taiwan.  Take it or leave it, no buts.

China officially protests to Singapore’s relations with Taiwan

For more than 40 years, Singapore Armed Forces have been training in Taiwan under the codename Starlight. This was an open secret without any party making an issue out of it. China could have protested but chose to close an eye and over the years everyone seemed to take this unusual relationship for granted.

Today, arising from the landing of Terrex armoured vehicles in Hong Kong and now impounded for not having the proper papers, the issue has escalated. China is now making an official protest to Singapore’s relationship with Taiwan on the ground that those countries recognizing one China should not have official govt to govt relations with Taiwan. Now what?

This is the first time that China has rebuked Singapore openly demanding that Singapore observed the rule of law in its relations with China under the One China Policy. Before this, Singapore enjoyed a very special relationship with China, carefully crafted and nurtured under the skilful hands of Lee Kuan Yew. This special relationship allowed Singapore to have very close ties with the Americans, the arch enemy of China and persistently trying to contain China and creating trouble for China, and also Singapore’s nebulous military training in Taiwan. All was good when relationship was kept at an even keel.

Things started to change when the Americans took an aggressive stand towards China in the South China Sea. Working hands in gloves with Japan and instigating the Aquino govt to take China to The Hague Tribunal and to make matter worst, turning the permanent arbitration court into a kangaroo court against China.  All this got nothing to do with Singapore until Singapore started to take the side of the Americans demanding that China accept the dubious rulings of the court, that China must abide by its rulings, and kept repeating that China must obey the rule of law, abide by international law as if China was not. Many other sordid events followed suit culminating in some unnecessary remarks at the Peru APEC Summit.

Why would a little Red Dot think it is its duty and right to keep telling China what to do and think that China is hapless and would have to tolerate its demands?  Though the Chinese govt did not say anything officially, the social media and other semi official media were rife in their attacks against Singapore for being on the side of the Americans and being anti China.

The writing was on the wall. Singapore did not see it coming? With its top diplomats making unfriendly comments, claiming to be speaking in their personal capacity as ‘ordinary citizens’ and brushed aside as non events in Parliament unchastised, did not go unnoticed.

Now the climax of this saga, 9 or is it 12 Singapore made Terrex armoured vehicles landed in Hong Kong port, carried by American President Line. Why did the vehicles landed in Hong Kong when they were not supposed to be there, on transit from Taiwan to Singapore? There is absolutely no reason for the armoured vehicles to be unloaded on to Hong Kong port. How did it happen, who did it and on what purpose? What is the agenda, or is there an agenda?

The APL or its employees cannot be so stupid to do such a thing. Armoured vehicles are weapons of war, prohibited unless proper documentations are done, often with diplomatic clearance. But why, why were the armoured vehicles in Hong Kong when they were bound for Singapore? Did someone intentionally unloaded them and then tipped off the Chinese authorities to create a tiff between the two countries?

Another big question, these are military weapons. Were they secured, were there guards to protect them from mischief? Were security protocol in place to keep terrorists or trouble makers away from the armoured vehicles? It is unbelieveable and shocking that such weapons are left to commercial shippers without being accompanied by military guards and treated like scrap cars, leave them wherever also can.

What’s next? How would this strange episode be resolved now that Lee Kuan Yew is not around and Hsien Loong has not been too friendly with his comments on China?  Could Singapore punch above its weight against China? Or would the Americans and its cronies be egging the Singapore govt to stand up to China just like the Aquino govt? Would there be another Hague Tribunal, backed by the UN to rule against China and the rulings be legal and binding?

With the Philippines not wanting to be the barking dog for the Americans, are the Americans looking for a replacement in Singapore to provoke China and raise tension again in the region? If so, would Singapore willingly accept this and play the role? Looks like Vivian Balakrishnan has a job cut out for him to excel. And he would pass with flying colours with his team of super talents in the MFA.

When leaders received bad counsels and cannot tell the difference, the only way to go is down.

The silence of the intelligentsia in Red Dot

Anyone notice that there is not a word coming from the intelligentsia about the issues and problems facing the little Red Dot for quite a number of years? There could be many reasons to this. Maybe there is no problem, no issue in the Red Dot. Or maybe there is no more intelligentsia left in the Red Dot. Or maybe….

These assumptions are unlikely to be true. How can there be no issue and problem in the Red Dot? The withholding of CPF savings from their rightful owners, income inequality, millions of immigrants, PMETs losing jobs, Elected Presidency and the creation of special privileges to a ‘bumiputra’ class, high cost of living, economic decline, million dollar incomes for the elite, etc etc. There are numerous problems facing the people in the little Red Dot.  Unless the above mentioned are not problems or the intelligentsia did not think so then that is another of looking at things.

Who and where is the intelligentsia? The academics, the thinkers in the universities, the thinkers and professors in the Lee Kuan Yew and Rajaratnam Schools, the professionals in the professions are the people that made up the intelligentsia. There must be many thousands of these elites out there. Why are they not saying a thing about the issues and problems the people are facing, the country is facing?

Or maybe the intelligentsia mainly comprises foreigners, foreign talents that do not care a hoot about the problems here as long as they got their jobs and good pay here, not to open their mouths and risk being thrown out of the little Red Dot. Where is Tan Khee Giap? No more Singaporean intelligentsia left? Cannot be right?

Why is the intelligentsia sealing their lips, especially the Singaporeans, so quiet?  They don’t have anything to add, to say, no views, unthinking like the masses? Isn’t this strange, the silence of the intelligentsia?

Ungrateful India booted George Yeo out of Nalanda University

George Yeo was appointed the Chancellor of the Nalanda University in July 2015, taking over from Amartya Sen. The two men were like the twin father of Nalanda. Amartya Sen was appointed the first Chancellor and George Yeo succeeded him after Amartya's disagreement with the Indian govt. On 25 Nov 2016, George wrote in his facebook that he had resigned from his Chancellorship citing lack of autonomy. The Indian govt actually set up a new board of directors, appointed their new men to take charge, all without breathing a word to George. In other words George was non existent, irrelevant. It was better for George to resign or wait for the boot.

How could Modi done such an unspeakable act behind George? Did he know how much George contributed to the success of the University, helping to raise millions from Singapore and Singaporeans to build the University. George was the key driver of the start up and had sang praises of how great this University would be and could be for the good of Indian and Asian civilisations.

And Modi better remember George's other great contribution to India when he signed the CECA to allow hundreds of thousands of Indian professionals to work in Singapore. Many of them displaced mismatched Singaporeans PMEs from their well paying jobs and ended up as security guards and taxi drivers.

George's contribution to India is anytime far greater many Indian leaders with the CECA agreements. Now they treated him like non existent. Poor George, having done so much to help India and Indians, giving many a very good life here, good jobs and good money, now treated this way.

Modi, please be grateful to George Yeo for his great contributions to India. Don't forget that. George the nice gentlemen would just take this rub in his stride. Given some lesser beans, they would tell Hsien Loong to terminate the CECA immediately. How can Modi do this to India's benefactor? Should not he be giving India's highest award to George for creating hundreds of thousands of good jobs for Indians?

DT clears the obstacles for the peaceful rise of China

What DT, Donald Trump? Not really, actually DT means Duterte and Trump. The incorrigible Americans have been very persistence in wanting to curb the rise of China by their policies of containment, building a string of military bases around China, building military alliances with China’s neighbours and trade pacts to exclude China. They even meddled and conspired with willing Asean members to be the barking and attack dogs in the South China Sea to challenge and claim China’s islands with promises of full American military support. The clownish Aquino went along with the Americans and the Japanese to fix up a kangaroo court in The Hague, destroying the neutrality of this once established private courts and its reputation, to pass foolish and nonsensical judgement against China’s territories and islands.

Then with divine precision, while the conspirators were laughing themselves to madness that they had China cornered, with several of the Asean states doing their biddings, they marched into Laos in the Asean Summit, led by Obama and Abe and the little barking dogs straddling behind. Never would they believe that the whole game was to be stalled by the divine, with the election of Duterte and the sending out of Aquino into the wilderness.

Duterte said no, the game is over, he is not going to be used as a pawn to confront China for the USA, to give trouble and pressure to China. The game ended in Laos. All the effort and scheming by the Americans and the co conspirators went up in smoke.  There was no issue, and instead, the Philippines turnaround to dump the Americans and cosied up to China, to build and improve relations with China. Without the Philippines as the point man, and with Malaysia also turning towards China, all the non claimants of SCS islands got to stuff their dicks into their own mouths. Where got issue? Who got problems with China, put up your hands? No one did.

China’s problem with the Americans did not go away with the lowering of tension in the SCS. There is still this TPP to strangle China, to isolate China. Ash Carter arrogantly warned China that it would be isolated at the Shangri La Defence Ministers Conference. The TPP, a transpacific trade pact did not include the biggest country and the world’s biggest trading nation, China, sitting on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, dwarfing all the nations on its side. Can you believe it? And the Americans with their expressionless face declared that it was not to contain China. The truth is far from it. They are adamant and persistent in wanting to lock in China. The noose is tightening and would have strangled China if the TPP is to go through.

The divine said no, no dirty politics. The scheming and bullying of the Americans have to be stopped. Donald Trump was sent in to stop the evil scheme of those in the White House and their conspirators. Trump has singlehandedly killed the TPP and release the noose on China’s neck.

The path for China to rise is cleared of two main obstacles. And Trump is going to do more. He is going to relook at all the hundreds of military bases all over the world, including those encircling China, and very likely he is going to dismantle some of them. The USA cannot afford to pay for all the bases and American soldiers all over the world. It is broke. Trump’s policy is not to start wars and create mischiefs all over the world.

Trump is turning isolationist, to build America from within, to be great but not by making other countries poor and in a mess through regime change and wars and supporting terrorist organizations. Trump is going to build the American economy, doing the brick and mortar way, to strengthen America, to build its own economy, to make the lives of Americans better, not to make a mess of the lives of people in other countries.

With his policy of non interference, not meddling with other countries’ domestic politics, every country would be safe and can proceed to develop their economies peacefully. China would have more breathing space to build the world, roads, rails, sea ports, infrastructures, to better the lives of the people of the world through economic prosperity, not wars. The rise of China will be through economic means, through trade and developments, which in a way complements Donald Trump’s thinking of building America great by creating jobs for the American people by bringing back factories home. Not wars and wars everywhere.

The era of American international responsibilities or irresponsibilities, depending on whether one is the beneficiary or victim, is coming to an end. There is divine intervention of sort, with many Americans praying for the insanity and evilness of the American regime to be replaced and a new regime that does not breed terrorist organizations and incite wars and conduct wars, to take its place. The prayer has been answered. Trump would be a more peaceful president than his predecessors, all warmongers, indulging in wars, terrorism, mass murderers and selling arms.  Can’t imagine Obama was given a Nobel Peace Prize. The act degrades the very organization that gave him the award, becoming a joke on both parties, the giver and the recipient.

With Obama busy enjoying his last few days in the White House and Trump preparing for his inauguration, the world is enjoying a few moment of peace and tranquility. Without the Americans agitating in the SCS and provoking North Korea, life goes on peacefully in Asia. Without the Americans protecting ISIS, ISIS would soon be history and the scourge of terror and destruction in the Middle East would soon be canned.

The DT combination of Duterte and Trump is a Godsend reprieve for the victims of American irresponsibilities around the world. Amen.