Nine Terrex infantry carriers, headed home after being used in Singaporean training exercises in Taiwan, were seized by Hong Kong customs officials on Wednesday last week, reportedly after a tip-off from a Chinese security agent. Beijing might try to use the incident to warn Singapore, but it was unlikely to seriously dent its relations with the city-state, he said. Former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted to making up the term in 2000. The Tsai administration must come up with a solution, because military cooperation with Singapore must be maintained, regardless of which party is in power, he said. The government should consider whether Singapore might be facing greater pressure from China, as Trump could backtrack from US President Barack Obama’s Asian “pivot,” creating a power vacuum in regional politics.

Source: Taipei Times November 30, 2016 16:02 UTC