Minister of National Defense Wu Shih-wen (
Wu's visit did not appear on his official itinerary for this month, and is believed to be connected to China's reported plan to enhance military ties with Singapore by providing training grounds on Hainan Island to Singaporean troops.
The visit was made between Jan. 1 and Jan. 8.
The Ministry of National Defense confirmed that Wu traveled to Singapore, but declined to comment on the motives behind the trip.
A defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Taipei Times that Taiwan does not wish to break off military cooperation with Singapore, as it still serves the interests of Taiwan.
"Recent reports about China offering Singapore the use of certain military sites on Hainan Island as the training grounds for its troops might have something to do with Wu's sudden visit to the city state," the official said.
"But it is not likely that Singapore will accept the offer. Several years ago Singapore refused a better offer from China -- a training base in central China which is one-quarter the size of Taiwan," he said.
"Singapore did not accept the offer because China did not agree to provide training assistance to its troops," he said.
"We do not need to make a fuss about Singapore's possible enhancement of military ties with China since it is an inevitable development. Despite that fact, we still do not wish to stop Singaporean troops coming to Taiwan for training," he said.
"We know Singapore has been playing a `dual-hand' role in its engagement with China and Taiwan. They want to get the greatest benefit from the two countries without running the risk of losing the friendship of either one," he added.
Ten years ago, when military ties between Taiwan and Singapore were still strong, China began to allow Singaporean troops to train on its territory.
Intelligence information indicates Singaporean troops were sighted at that time in jungle areas bordering China and certain countries in the Indo-China peninsula.
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