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Taiwan's disclosure of Singapore military training draws attention
Report suggests public discussion of Project Starlight may have been directed toward Trump-Xi meetingJun. 5, 2026 15:24
Taiwan's disclosure of Singapore military training draws attention
Report suggests public discussion of Project Starlight may have been directed toward Trump-Xi meeting
Jun. 5, 2026 15:24
Medwin Hsu
Taiwan News, Staff WriterTAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan may have been sending a message to China by publicizing details of its long-running military training program with Singapore, Project Starlight, weeks before a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Nikkei Asia reported Friday.
Project Starlight is a military training cooperation program between Taiwan and Singapore that began in 1975. Although the arrangement is widely known, both governments have traditionally refrained from publicly discussing it to avoid friction with China.
However, Liberty Times, a newspaper aligned with the ruling DPP, reported on May 3 that Singaporean troops were conducting exercises in Hengchun Township, Pingtung County. The report noted that the soldiers were carrying SAR 21 rifles.
Nikkei Asia suggested that Taiwan's government may have been attempting to send a signal to China. The publication noted that the presence of Singaporean troops in Taiwan could carry a deterrent value in the event of Chinese military action.
Nikkei Asia also noted that Taiwan previously publicized Premier Cho Jung-tai's (卓榮泰) visit to Japan in a personal capacity. The report said visits by senior Taiwanese officials to Japan are generally considered politically sensitive because of the absence of formal diplomatic ties.
Media coverage of Cho's trip reportedly drew complaints from Japan.
Singaporean servicemember Siddharath Bhowmick wrote in a January Asia Times article, before entering military service, that Project Starlight serves as a deterrent, per UP Media. He wrote that an attack on Singaporean troops stationed in Taiwan could justify US intervention.
Bhowmick argued that the program's deterrent value helps explain Taiwan's continued support for the arrangement. At the same time, he warned that the cooperation could expose both deployed personnel and Singapore itself to additional risks in the event of a regional conflict.
Bhowmick also called for a more active Singaporean role in maintaining cross-strait stability and discouraging what he described as pro-independence tendencies in Taiwan, singling out President Lai Ching-te (賴清德). Singapore's defense ministry later said the article reflected Bhowmick's personal views, per Liberty Times.
The remarks came around the same time as Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s (黃循財) public opposition to Taiwan independence.
Institute for National Defense and Security Research fellow Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) noted that Singapore has gradually reduced the number of troops participating in Project Starlight since 2016, per ETtoday. He suggested that the article could be intended to probe Taiwan's red lines or represent cognitive warfare targeting Taiwan.
