I can't imagine the folks that run Singapore would be thrilled at a nose dive in shipping traffic. Would they even play ball?
I mean at that point what're they gonna do, the Singaporean navy has 6 subs and 32 surface ships. Similar but slightly larger for Malaysia. FWIW ships can just bypass the entire Malacca Strait, and it's not nearly as far as being forced to go around the cape.
I mean at that point what're they gonna do, the Singaporean navy has 6 subs and 32 surface ships.
They've got the civilian infrastructure that allows one of the largest and most influential ports in the world to function. Might as well ask what the Longshoreman's Union could do without an army. The US can ruin the port with naval power (in the same way the Houthis curtailed traffic through the Suze), but they can't operate the port by the same means.
Nobody really benefits from a Singapore that ceases to function. Its a lose-lose, and Beijing bureaucrats know that.
I mean at that point what're they gonna do, the Singaporean navy has 6 subs and 32 surface ships. Similar but slightly larger for Malaysia. FWIW ships can just bypass the entire Malacca Strait, and it's not nearly as far as being forced to go around the cape.
They've got the civilian infrastructure that allows one of the largest and most influential ports in the world to function. Might as well ask what the Longshoreman's Union could do without an army. The US can ruin the port with naval power (in the same way the Houthis curtailed traffic through the Suze), but they can't operate the port by the same means.
Nobody really benefits from a Singapore that ceases to function. Its a lose-lose, and Beijing bureaucrats know that.