China warns countries against allying with Taiwan as they hold on to SAF’s military vehicles in Hong Kong

China may use armoured troop carriers confiscated from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in Hong Kong as leverage in the South China Sea diplomatic dispute. 

The carriers, along with other military equipment, were seized Nov. 23 in Hong Kong while being transported from Taiwan to Singapore. 

On Friday, Beijing warned countries against maintaining military ties with Taiwan — a nation that the Chinese government regards as a breakaway province.

“I wish to reiterate that the Chinese government consistently and resolutely opposes any form of official exchanges, including military exchanges and cooperation, between countries with which we have diplomatic relations and the Taiwan region,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, , who also affirmed that all imports and exports through Hong Kong should be made with respect to relevant laws. 

Meanwhile, with the SAF military gear still in detention, Singaporean diplomats are expected to discreetly analyse the confiscated military equipment, Reuters reports. SAF has dispatched a team to Hong Kong to “address the security of the equipment”. 

What started out as standard transportation of military equipment through commercial shippers has turned into a political dilemma for the SAF.  Customs authorities in Hong Kong had acted on a tip regarding a shipment of containers from Kaohsiung, Taiwan last week and found nine Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicles (and a medley of other military accessories) bound for Singapore. The Ministry of Defence later confirmed that the gear belonged to them, and had been used in a military exercise in Taiwan. 

China, of course, isn’t too happy to discover that Singapore and Taiwan are in cahoots of some sort, and have since held on to SAF’s shipment for inspections in Hong Kong.

With SAF’s equipment as leverage, experts believe that China could pressure Singapore more heavily on the South China Sea issue. 

Beijing remains concerned over Singapore’s position in the territorial dispute between Chin and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei over the sovereignty of waters and islands in the South China Sea. 

Editor’s Note: This story has been edited for clarity.