Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu visited Singapore last week, signaling renewed vigor in Taiwan’s ties with the Southeast Asian nation, an unnamed high-ranking official said.

Kao was invited to attend the Singapore Airshow and met with Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Teo Chee Hean to discuss military exchanges, the official said.

Kao told media Feb. 6 that he had met recently with the commander of the Xing-guang (Starlight) Forces, code name for the Singaporean forces which train in Taiwan, but he declined comment on whether he had visited Singapore lately.

Relations with Singapore are excellent, a highly placed official said, but as Singapore’s relations with mainland China have been very close in recent years, certain things have to be avoided. Having with difficulty concluded a free trade agreement with the mainland, Singapore has been cautious about cross-strait affairs, keeping a low profile in interactions with Taiwan. Nevertheless, there have been bilateral visits, the official said.

Due to the sensitive nature of their position, Taiwan’s defense ministers have rarely been invited to Singapore. Kao’s was the first Singapore visit by a Taiwan defense minister since 1989, when Cheng Wei-yuan accompanied then-President Lee Teng-hui to the island city-state.

Kao did not appear publicly at the airshow but met privately with Singapore officials. He was accompanied by officers at the lieutenant general level, as well as by Military News Agency reporters who also covered the airshow and recorded the meetings.

In September 2004 Singapore’s ministry of foreign affairs issued a statement warning Taipei of the danger of seeking independence soon after Mark Chen, Taiwan’s minister of foreign affairs at the time, expressed derision toward Singapore’s close ties with China. Chen’s snub chilled bilateral ties and caused Singapore to suspend high-level visits and military exchanges with Taiwan.

In January 2005, Taiwan’s C-130 military transport planes delivering humanitarian aid following the South Asian tsunami were forced to cover the national emblem on the aircraft to land at Singapore’s Changi Airport. In March of the same year, the ROC Navy Goodwill Fleet was denied docking rights, stranding over 700 sailors on board. The fleet has not visited Singapore since.

Under the Ma Ying-jeou administration, as cross-strait relations have improved, ties with Singapore have also been on the mend. Former Vice President Lien Chan attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings held in Singapore last year as a special envoy and exchanged opinions with local political heavyweights. (KP-THN)

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