Singapore–Taiwan relations

Singapore–Taiwan relations

Singapore	Taiwan

Singapore–Taiwan relations are the international relations between Singapore and Taiwan. Taiwan has a representative office in Singapore. Singapore operates the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei in Taiwan, both of whom are members of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Early History

As Singapore and Taiwan, both territories were under different spheres of influence.

As a colonial state under British Malaya rule, most early Chinese migrants came as labourers into Singapore escaping poverty and war. Many ethnic Chinese Singaporeans derived their ancestral roots in southern China from Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan provinces. During British rule in Singapore, Singapore and the Republic of China (1912–49) i.e. the larger China, had diplomatic relations.^[1]

As an island, Taiwan on the contrary, was known before World War I as the Republic of Formosa, with Taiwan under Japanese rule occurring between 1895 and 1945. It is geographically separate from Mainland China where the Kuomintang (KMT) party first began. During World War II, the KMT party that came to found the Republic of China was also part of the formation of the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China in Mainland China, within the Japanese Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

The Nationalist government's retreat to Taipei

With the surrender of Japan after the world war, the republic broke into three separate entities, specifically China or the "People's Republic of China", Mongolian People's Republic, and Taiwan or the "smaller Republic of China" where surviving KMT forces retreated after losing the war against the Chinese communists; at the same time Singapore returned under British Malaya as a colonial state.

Like Thailand where Singapore today adopted modern military training bases with, Taiwan was also under Japanese Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere influence leading up to post-World War II. Strategically, the Japanese occupation of Singapore and the Japanese occupation of Malaya was made possible and expedited because of Thai and Taiwanese varied involvements and / or assistances towards the Japanese war efforts.

1965 - 2010

When Singapore became independent in 1965 from Malaysia, it briefly continued in recognising the Republic of China as the legitimate government of China.^[1] However, the Taiwanese settlers that had by then created the smaller Republic of China may have had ancestral origins such as Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan provinces similar as those Chinese migrants that were settling down in Nanyang Singapore.

In the 1970s, the People's Republic of China and Singapore began unofficial relations.

Since the independence of Singapore and the establishment of Kuomintang rule over the island of Taiwan, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) adopted military training bases in Taiwan from 1975 that included combined arms exercises involving infantry, artillery, and armored units. The then Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew also appointed Taiwanese military personnel in training Republic of Singapore Air Force. These exercises, engaging as many as 10,000 troops at one time, provided officers a chance to simulate wartime conditions more closely and gain experience in the command and control of operations involving several battalions.^[2]

On 3 October 1990, Singapore revised diplomatic relations from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China. The relationship between Singapore and the PRC has since improved significantly.^[3]

In 2004, shortly before the current Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong took office from the then incumbent Goh Chok Tong, he made a visit to Taiwan to familiarise himself with the latest developments there.^[4] In his maiden National Day Rally speech, Lee criticized the Taiwanese leadership and populace of overestimating the support they would receive if they were to declare Taiwan independence;^[5] Conversely in September, Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo cautioned the United Nations General Assembly about the dangers of letting the cross-strait relationship deteriorate.

The Chinese government has officially offered Singapore to shift its training facilities to Hainan Island which has been refused at least once in maintaining status quo,^[6] with official annual military exercises known as Exercise Starlight (星光計畫)^[7] in Taiwan.

In 2009, the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei was honoured for its role in developing close economic ties between the two sides. Taiwan is Singapore’s ninth largest trading partner, with bilateral trade topping S$35 billion in 2008.^[8]

2010 - 2014

Representative office of Singapore in Taiwan

In bilateral trade, from 2010^[9] till 2012,^[10] former Taiwanese Vice-President Lien Chan announced talks between Taiwan and Singapore on a proposed economic partnership agreement. Finalised 7 November 2013, Taiwan and Singapore signed an economic partnership agreement called the Agreement between Singapore and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu on Economic Partnership (ASTEP) in Singapore in significantly reducing tariffs imposed by Taiwan on goods imported from Singapore. This is Taiwan's first economic partnership agreement signed with a member of ASEAN.^[11]

In November 2014, the SAF sent its 70 soldiers for an eight-day joint exercise with the People's Liberation Army near Qingdao.^[12]

Vanessa Shih

The Taipei Ministry of Foreign Affairs reassigned Vice Foreign Minister Vanessa Shih^[13] back after she reportedly angered Lee Kuan Yew and other high-ranking officials with a series of actions including singing the Republic of China (ROC) national anthem and raising the national flag at a public reception celebrating the ROC centennial, as well as making contact with Chen Show Mao, a member of the opposition Workers’ Party.^[14]

Ma Ying-jeou's visit to Singapore Istana

After former Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew visited Taiwan in March 2011 with his daughter.^[15]

2015 visit

On 24 March 2015 ROC President Ma Ying-jeou made a low-profile day-trip visit to Singapore to pay tribute to late former Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew. Ma's visit came after an invitation from Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for the private family wake at the official residence of the Prime Minister in Ma's capacity as Lee Kuan Yew's "old friend".^[16][17]

Taiwan president Ma and China president Xi leaders met on Saturday, November 7, 2015 in Singapore.^[18][19]

See also

• Foreign relations of Taiwan
• Foreign relations of Singapore

References

Foreign relations of Singapore
Africa	South Africa
Americas	Canada Mexico United States
Asia	Armenia Brunei Cambodia China (Hong Kong) India Indonesia Israel Japan Malaysia Mongolia North Korea Pakistan Philippines Taiwan Thailand Vietnam
Europe	France Germany Netherlands Russia Turkey United Kingdom
Oceania	Australia New Zealand
International organisations	Commonwealth of Nations United Nations (UN relations) APEC ASEAN
Treaties	Agreement between New Zealand and Singapore on a Closer Economic Partnership ASEAN–China Free Trade Agreement Five Power Defence Arrangements Malaysia–Singapore Points of Agreement of 1990 Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty Straits Settlement and Johore Territorial Waters Agreement of 1927 Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership United Nations Charter
Related topics	Diplomatic missions of / in Singapore

Foreign relations of Taiwan
Africa	Burkina Faso Chad Gambia Malawi South Africa
Americas	Belize Brazil Canada Dominican Republic Mexico Paraguay United States Venezuela
Asia	Bangladesh Bhutan PR China India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Mongolia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Saudi Arabia South Korea Vietnam
Europe	Denmark Holy See Italy Russia United Kingdom
Oceania	Australia Pacific countries
Other	United Nations Political status
Related topics	Ministry of Foreign Affairs Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office Taiwan Relations Act Diplomatic missions of/in Taiwan Passport Visa policy/requirements
Timeline of diplomatic relations