The seizure of several Singaporean armored vehicles being shipped through Hong Kong is at the center of a simmering diplomatic row between Singapore and China over the city-state's relations with Taiwan, and its policy stance on the South China Sea.
On Nov. 23, Hong Kong customs authorities impounded nine Singaporean army Terrex infantry carrier vehicles, together with three containers of firearms and military equipment, from a ship docked at the container terminal while they were in transit from Kaohsiung, Taiwan to Singapore. Singapore had been using the vehicles in military training exercises for its military forces, conducted in Taiwan as part of long-standing arrangements preceding Singapore's recognition of China in 1990.
