The Hong Kong authorities have moved the seized Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) vehicles away from the port for storage, the territory’s media reported yesterday, raising questions about whether they will be returned expeditiously, as Singapore has requested.

Meanwhile, the incident widened yesterday, when China waded into the fray, saying it had noticed the news reports of the seized Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicles (ICVs) and was verifying them. However, a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman sidestepped questions from reporters at a routine press briefing about whether Singapore had contacted Beijing on the issue and what would happen to the nine armoured vehicles next.

… Associate Professor Li Mingjiang, from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said Beijing did not need to use the incident to pressure Singapore, when other channels, both formal and informal, are available.

He added: “We’ve not really seen any notable signs … that Beijing is very upset about Singapore’s military training activities in Taiwan. I’ve not heard such complaints from Chinese officials or policy elites.”