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Singapore begins to feel effects of US-China trade war, posting export declines

Anna Maria Romero
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Singapore begins to feel effects of US-China trade war, posting export declines

For the first time in eight months, Singapore’s exports fell in November. Exports to China, which is the country’s biggest market, have continued to diminish, reflective of slower economic growth in China.

Industry experts around the globe have expressed concerns about how ongoing trade tensions between the two biggest economies in the world would affect the countries. In Singapore, experts say the impact may last for months, given the city state’s dependence on trade for its economy.

The South China Morning Post reports that economists in a Reuters poll had predicted that the country’s non-oil domestic exports would grow by 1.2 percent, but in reality, they fell by 2.6 percent in November year-on-year, based on data provided by trade agency Enterprise Singapore. This is the first negative reading since March.

Added to the decrease in export and slowed trade with China, shipments in pharmaceuticals have also become sluggish of late.

An economist at Oxford Economics, Sian Fenner, wrote in a research note to clients, “While domestic exports to the US remained healthy, shipments to China continued to weigh on overall growth. Notwithstanding the recent truce in the US-China trade war, we think weaker Chinese import demand, amid increased trade protectionism, will increasingly weigh on exports and Singapore (GDP) growth over 2019.”

For the fourth consecutive month, the volume of trade to China went down again in November, lessened by 16 percent from 2017. In October the decline was 28.5 percent.

Song Seng Wun, an economist with CIMB, said, “China growth has moderated, and that’s the primary reason (for the declining exports to China. If you look at retail sales, it’s quite indicative that Chinese macro fundamentals have weakened.”

Retail sales in the second largest economy in the world showed their slowest growth since 2003 while the economy’s momentum kept slowing down. This has added pressure on Beijing to settle the trade war with the United States.

Read related–PM Lee: US and China should prevent trade discord from poisoning “overall relationship”

https://theindependent.sg.sg/pm-lee-us-and-china-should-prevent-trade-discord-from-poisoning-overall-relationship/

 

China pays tribute to the ‘Sage of Asia’ and Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew

Gemma Iso
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China pays tribute to the ‘Sage of Asia’ and Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew

Among 10 foreigners being honored by China is Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew, for his part in helping China open up to the world economically and diplomatically thereby pushing the country to become an economic marvel.

Lee was honored for propelling Singapore in profoundly engaging with China’s reforms and in its act of embracing the outside world. Singapore deeply inspires China to strive and achieve economic prosperity under a one-party rule.

Alongside Lee’s accomplishments in economic and international relations, his most laudable achievements were his successes in establishing meritocracy in Singaporean politics and in aligning Singapore with globalization.

Lee Kuan Yew
Born September 16, 1923, Lee was a politician and lawyer who became Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. During his lengthy rule, Singapore transforms to become the most thriving nation in Southeast Asia. Lee Kuan Yew elevated Singapore, an underprivileged, scandalously twisted port city from the bottom treads of the Third World, to a contemporary First World state with sanitary avenues and spotless political regime in a single generation. He was considered a genuine grand master of international strategy and a shrewd counselor to the leaders of the world.

Margaret Thatcher once said “he was never wrong.” Former President Barack Obama also called him “one of the legendary figures of Asia,” while China’s own Xi Jinping called him an “old friend of the Chinese people.”

Lee is the only one outside of China who had such a deep influence on China’s ascendancy and restoration. As proof, in 1978, prior to launching comprehensive economic restructuring, Deng Xiaoping visited Singapore to confer with and seek advice from Lee Kuan Yew and study Lee’s Singapore Model.

Similarly, no one else outside the U.S. has had greater impact than Lee Kuan Yew on U.S. strategy toward an expanding China, that is, from Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger’s opening to Mao Zedong in the early 1970s, to President Obama’s “pivot” to Asia today. Every president since Nixon has sought Lee’s counsel about Asia and the world.

Eggs on the face situation, Malaysia and its egg crisis

The Independent
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Eggs on the face situation, Malaysia and its egg crisis

Recent events are showing some changes will occur on the trade agreements between Malaysia and Singapore. Only a few days ago, Malaysia has declared that it will cease the export of 4 types of fish for the first two months of 2019. What precedented that news is that Malaysia’s poultry industry will also be limiting its export supplies.

First, some demographics. Singapore is a country that has little farming land and limited fishing grounds, therefore, it imports over 90% of the food consumed in the country, according to the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA). It is understandable that Singapore will never reach self-sufficiency, although it is still working to increase its current levels in the three most prominent food items: eggs, fish and leafy vegetables. In the near future, AVA aims to increase the current 25% for eggs to 30%, 8% for fish to 15% and 7% for leafy vegetables to 10%.

Photo: YouTube screengrab

Focusing on poultry, the remaining 73% is being supplied by Malaysia while the remaining 1-2% is shared by accredited farms located in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand.

Meanwhile, consumers in Malaysia have been noticing a steady weekly increase in egg prices the past couple of months with numerous complaints piling up. Because of this, investigations have been started to root out the causes for a price hike as well as Malaysia declaring it will limit or even halt its egg exports in hopes of addressing the problem internally first.

Egg crisis

Malaysian Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has said that an investigation has been started to check for any traces of cartel-related operations that could be affecting the constant rise in egg prices.

Furthermore, the biggest exporter of eggs to Singapore has just announced that another cause for the increase in prices is bird flu, which is like the influenza virus for humans but affects birds. The effect of eating poultry that is infected with this disease is similar to the flu but has the tendency to yield more serious complications.

Aside from cartel activities and the emergence of bird flu, another reason for limiting export supplies is to meet domestic demands. The increase in export volumes of eggs from Malaysia is hurting the domestic market.

Photo: YouTube screengrab

A committee has been established by Malaysia’s Agriculture and Agro-industry Minister Salahuddin Ayub to further investigate the egg crisis. Necessary measures will be taken once a detailed report has been submitted.

In the meantime, Singapore is looking for alternative sources to meet demands, such as tapping the Philippines to be a potential poultry exporter.

Philip Willie, a Facebook user, commented on the current events from first-hand experience and mentioned the quality of the eggs coming from Malaysia.

Photo: Facebook screengrab

Min Lin has also given his opinion and said that Malaysia’s decision will only hurt its own economy by losing its share in the market.

Photo: Youtube screengrab

Behind Bars for Vietnamese Syndicate Nabbed in $45,000 Uniqlo Theft

The Independent
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Behind Bars for Vietnamese Syndicate Nabbed in $45,000 Uniqlo Theft

Source: Facebook of MizReeney

Four Vietnamese nationals, 2 women and 2 men, were pronounced guilty for stealing thousands of pieces of clothing, amounting to almost $45,000 from different outlets of the Japanese clothing line, Uniqlo.

 

Source: Facebook of Derrick See

Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, 31, one of the two women is the syndicate’s ringleader. She was sentenced to one year and 11 months, together with Duong Tuan Dat, 27, and Van Tu Nguyen, 30. The second woman, Tran Thi Phuong, 29, was convicted to one year and 10 months jail time.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Shana Poon said that the four came to Singapore using social visit passes last September 13 this year from Vietnam with a plan to steal from Uniqlo stores across the island. The four traveled with empty luggage bags allocated for the merchandises to be stolen.

After two days, the four started shoplifting in one Uniqlo outlet in Downtown East shopping mall in Pasir Ris, stealing worth $4,995 of 50 pieces winter clothing.

Three days later they were nabbed in their occupied hotel room in Chin Swee Road with 818 pieces of clothing pricing to more than $21,000.

Four days later, Hotel 81 Room key at Jiak Chuan Road near Chinatown led the police authorities to seize 636 pieces of stolen clothing by the same syndicate group, valued at about $23,000.

Other pieces of evidence for executing the crime used by the foreigners were specially prepared shopping bags lined with aluminum to shield setting off the sensor alarms, pliers and other tools for removing sensor tags.

The stolen thousands of clothing, including thousands of brassieres and winter clothing, will be sold back to Vietnam by the group if they were not caught.

Source: Facebook of Derrick See

Executing the crime was systematic. One walks out of the store and passes the goods to another member. However, they were apprehended when a security alarm was triggered after Duong walked out with the unpaid goods.

Uniqlo stores were the target for the shoplifting after knowing that many of the brand’s clothing do not have sensor tags. It is one of the most recognized and respected global fashion brands. It has more than 25 outlets islandwide.

 

Hawker troubles: S’pore hawker fare cheaper than HK and M’sia, median age of hawkers is 60, few youths enter the industry

Anna Maria Romero
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Hawker troubles: S’pore hawker fare cheaper than HK and M’sia, median age of hawkers is 60, few youths enter the industry

Singapore is well known for its hawker food stalls, which are indeed considered a national treasure. They were prominently featured in this year’s summer Hollywood blockbuster hit, ‘Crazy Rich Asians,’ and, even more importantly, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on August 19 that the country’s hawker culture would be nominated for inclusion in Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

But there may just be a disconnect with the elevated concept of “hawker culture” and the harsh realities of hawker life. The fact of the matter is that hawker food is cheaper in Singapore than in both HongKong and Malaysia, and Singapore’s hawkers face gruelingly long hours of work for relatively little pay.

Little wonder then that the median age of hawkers today is 60 years old, and very few young people are joining the industry. If these conditions go on, preserving the hawker culture will end up becoming a challenge for the next generation of Singaporeans.

While seven hawker centers have been endorsed to private companies in order for fresh concepts to emerge that would help revive the culture, critics have called these concepts, among which are decreased working hours, fees for returning trays and other ideas as exploitative.

Reports have also emerged that hawkers have entered into contracts without understanding the language in which the contracts were written, or have been made to shoulder the legal costs of the contracts.

Singapore’s hawker culture is part and parcel of everyday life, with the South China Morning Post reporting that over twenty-five percent of Singaporeans in one poll said food had a higher significance for them than traditional performance arts or festivals. Moreover, 8 out of every 10 Singaporeans eat in hawker centers at least once every week.

The roots of hawker culture go back to the middle of the 19th century, and the industry’s focus has always been serving delicious food at affordable prices.

This is exactly the problem today since keeping prices low has resulted in attracting fewer and fewer younger people.

Tommy Koh, the country’s ambassador-at-large, encouraged Singaporeans early in December to pay higher prices for hawker food, saying “Our hawkers are hard-working people and they work very long hour. They deserve to make a decent income.”

According to industry expert Wong Chiang Yin, “We cannot divorce economics from culture. For a modern day culture, the economics must work out.”

He compared the prices of hawker food in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia.

“The price of a plate of chicken rice or wanton mee is S$4 (US$2.90) in Singapore, in Malaysia, it is easily 5 ringgit (US$1.20) or 6.5 ringgit in Kuala Lumpur. In Hong Kong, the cheapest meal you can get is HK$30 (US$3.80) to HK$35.

So in terms of ratio of median household income to hawker food price, Singapore is the lowest, compared to Hong Kong and Malaysia. In other words, we are comparatively underpriced, and hence margins are also lower.”

Wong believes that hawkers should be earning around S$6,000 a month, which would allow the industry to be as attractive as it has been in Hong Kong and Malaysia. “If we truly love and support hawker culture, we must put our money where our mouth is,” he said.

Read related: Hawkers at Our Tampines Hub jump at chance to no longer work 24/7

https://theindependent.sg.sg/hawkers-at-our-tampines-hub-jump-at-chance-to-no-longer-work-24-7/

 

What the fish is going on with the fish?

The Independent
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What the fish is going on with the fish?

Singapore – First the eggs, now the fish. It was only about a week ago that Malaysia has informed its neighbours that a limit will be placed on the eggs being exported in order to meet internal demands. Singapore is now looking for other sources such as the Philippines to fill in the gap. Next up is the fish.

From January 1 to February 28, 2019, Malaysia will halt all exports of the following fish species: mackerel, trevally, Indian mackerel and a Chinese favourite, pomfret. The decision is being made to meet the shortage of supply usually created by the Chinese New Year which is happening on February 5 next year. In addition to this, the mentioned months are also monsoon season which negatively affects levels of supply.

It is a known fact that Singaporeans love fish. The Seafood Report of 2017 by the Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) states that the country consumes about 22 kgs of fish and seafood (scattered across 40 species) per person in a year. The rest of the world only consumes around 20kgs while an American has a 5.1kgs intake of fish and seafood per year. Although the island consumes great amounts of fish and seafood, it exports 95% of that demand from its neighbours Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. The latest World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Singapore Seafood Guide states that the country is consuming fish from the ocean at a rate that is not equal to the rate of replenishment, which can make fish stocks collapse. Measures such as awareness about sustainable seafood through farming or responsible fishing are being promoted to the food industry.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) ensured the public that this pause on imports from Malaysia is not happening without countermeasures and that there are other alternative sources to import from.

Netizens are quick to comment on their opinions on the matter, with quite a number even connecting this move as a political response to the ongoing disputes between Malaysia and Singapore.

Others are saying that there is no need to panic because there are more fish in the sea.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Rahmat Omar took the diplomatic approach and is reminding everyone that there was once a time when it was all love and friendship between the two countries.

Man lived with his 92-year-old mother’s decomposing corpse for a year to continue getting her pension

The Independent
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Man lived with his 92-year-old mother’s decomposing corpse for a year to continue getting her pension

The police in Carabanchel, Madrid, Spain, were shocked to find that a man had been living with his 92-year-old dead mother’s decomposing body for a year, just so he could continue collecting her pension.

Police were alerted to the unnamed man’s home after neighbours noticed a strong smell had been emanating from the man’s home for weeks and realised that they hadn’t seen his mother for about a year.

According to the Madrid Police Headquarters, the police and emergency services team visited the home and broke the door down when nobody answered.

In the property, the authorities found the deceased 92-year-old woman in an “advanced state of decomposition” in a wooden coffin that appeared to be homemade.

The deceased woman’s 62-year-old son was promptly arrested after the authorities made the chilling discovery. He reportedly confirmed that he continued collecting his mother’s pension after her death.

According to local publication Ultima Hora, preliminary investigations show that the deceased woman died of natural causes and has been dead for a year. The Anatomical Forensic Institute is set to conduct further investigations to confirm the time and cause of death.

Murder case: Malaysian fireman injured at temple riot passes away

The Independent
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Murder case: Malaysian fireman injured at temple riot passes away

Petaling Jaya – From attempted murder to murder, the case of Fire and Rescue Department personnel Muhammad Adib Kassim was reclassified.

The riot that occurred at the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple on November 26 left Fire and Rescue Department personnel Muhammad Adib Kassim badly injured with broken ribs and internal injuries. He was responding to a call that some vehicles were being set on fire at the site but got attacked by the rioters instead.

Photo: Youtube screenshot – Monk being held captive by rioters

The 24-year-old was rushed to the ICU of Ramsey Sime Darby Health Care for immediate medical attention. He was moved to the National Heart Institute (IJN) for further treatment. From there, his condition started to improved which greatly relieved his fiancé, Ms. Nurul Najihah Mohd Radzi, 25, whom he was supposed to tie the knot with this month.

Photo: YouTube screengrab – Overturned vehicle after the riot

Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse and Adib’s condition greatly deteriorated in the last 24 hours, as per IJN. His lungs showed a hardening of the tissue making gas exchange futile. The hero is also in dialysis support as his renal system is not improving.

It was at 9:41pm of December 17 that Muhammad Adib Kassim has passed away, which was confirmed by Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin.

Photo: YouTube screengrab

After the final rites and prayers at IJN on Monday night, Adib’s remains will be transferred to his hometown in Kampung Tebengau, Kedah. His burial starts on Tuesday, December 18.

Murder case

It was Selangor deputy police chief Deputy Commander Datuk Ab Rashid Ab Wahab that informed the public of a reclassification of the case of Muhammad Adib’s death from attempted murder to murder.

According to the Deputy Commander, the “Police have reclassified the case from Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder to Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder”. Further actions to be discussed and announced.

The public is fully onboard for the reclassification and demand the head of the murderer. Justice is being sought after for the death of a young man who was only doing his job for the country.

Photo: Comment section screengrab

Furthermore, there is still a lot of questions regarding the events that led up to the riot as stated by an anonymous netizen.

Photo: Comment section screengrab

Philippines’ Catriona Gray beckons Filipinos to “Raise your Flag” as she bags the country’s 4th Miss Universe crown

Gemma Iso
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Philippines’ Catriona Gray beckons Filipinos to “Raise your Flag” as she bags the country’s 4th Miss Universe crown

Twenty-four year old model, television personality, and seasoned beauty queen Catriona Gray from the Philippines takes the world by storm as she bested all other 92 candidates December 17 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Donning a dazzling ‘lava-like’ red outfit, Gray recalled what her mom said when she was 13, “My mom said she had a dream that I would win Miss Universe in a red dress.”

“You have made us proud” was the common response as netizens reacted to Catriona’s win with glowing enthusiasm. Even Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said in a statement, “Ms. Gray truly made the entire Philippines proud when she sashayed on the global stage and showcased the genuine qualities defining a Filipina beauty: Confidence, grace, intelligence and strength in the face of tough challenges.”

World-class singer and Broadway actress Lea Salonga tweeted: “What wonderful news to wake up to!!! Congratulations, Catriona Gray (Philippines), for winning the Miss Universe crown!!!”

Previous Ms U winners and where they are now
Catriona Gray is 4th Filipina beauty queen to be named Miss Universe in the competition’s history. Previous pageant winners were:

Gloria Diaz: 1969 Ms Universe
Gloria Diaz was the first Filipina to win Miss Universe in 1969. She was the crowd’s favorite during the competition because of her wit. During her reign, Gloria extensively travelled endorsing the causes that the Ms Universe organization advocates. Gloria went on to pursue an acting career in the Philippines where she became successful. Owing to her ageless beauty and elegant bearing, the former Ms. Universe continues to grace Philippine television up to the present.

Margarita Moran: 1973 Ms Universe
After doing some part-time modeling for fashion designer Auggie Cordero, Margarita “Margie” Moran decided to join the Binibining Pilipinas at aged 19. In that contest, she bagged the privilege of representing the country at the Miss Universe pageant in Athens, Greece and in 1973 got hold of the Miss Universe title, with the prestigious Miss Photogenic award in tow.

When her reign ended, Margie married and moved to London to take up a Masters Degree in Business. She headed several private corporations and had a brief stint in television and film. Margie hosted Margie on Mindanao and produced the multi-awarded movie, Bagong Buwan (New Moon). The former Ms U is also famous for her peace advocacy being part of the Mindanao Commission on Women Organization and recently became an ambassador-trustee of the Habitat for Humanity Philippines.

 

Pia Wirtzbach: 2015 Ms Universe
Pia Wirtzbach’s crowning as 2015 Ms Universe is one of the most controversial in the pageant’s history. Pia was initially announced as first runner-up, but after several seconds, host Steve Harvey admitted he made a mistake and Miss Philippines was actually the winner, removing the crown from the head of Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez.

Subsequent to her recruitment by a modeling agency at age 11, German-born Pia’s career in front of the camera commenced. Becoming a child model and television star, she also became the sole breadwinner of the family. From that time on, Pia was resolute in joining the Miss Universe beauty pageant, making numerous attempts, training for three years while also working as a lifestyle journalist. During her reign, Pia works with the Miss Universe Organization as an HIV/AIDS awareness advocate and became a guest judge on Asia’s Next Top Model. Pia at present is an endorser of countless products and continues to inspire many young Filipinas in making their dreams a reality.

Singapore all set to import poultry and livestock products from the Philippines

Gemma Iso
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0
Singapore all set to import poultry and livestock products from the Philippines

“The Philippines and Singapore agreed to fast-track agricultural trading negotiations to allow the export of pork, chicken and eggs, vegetables and shrimps to the tiny but rich country by early next year,” Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said.

According to the Agriculture Secretary, Singapore is also interested in vegetables produced in Bukidnon, high-value rice such as brown rice and organic rice and vannamei shrimp.”

Piñol stated that the only thing that can impede the transport of Philippine farm products to Singapore is the Chinese New Year, when the country becomes occupied with its traditional festivities.

While the Agriculture Secretary did not divulge the estimated value of expected income with its entry to the Singaporean market, he made clear that the Philippines would be filling in the supply gap that was created by the decline of Malaysian agricultural shipments.

Singapore’s Import-Export industry
Singapore transported US$373.2 billion worth of products all over the world in 2017. The figure represents approximately 2.3% of total global exports projected at $15.952 trillion in the previous year.

In an international context, three-quarters (75.4%) of Singaporean exports by value are delivered to other Asian countries while 9.5% are purchased by European importers.

Additionally, Singapore transported another 7% worth of products to North American clientele while a smaller percentage (2.2%) went to Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.

The Philippines is on the list of Singapore’s roster of top trading partners with exports totaling  $7.3 billion.

Philippines-Singapore relations overview
The Philippines and Singapore are both founding members of the ASEAN and relations between the two countries have stayed robust and energetic through the years.

The Philippines is Singapore’s 14th largest trading partner worldwide with a total bilateral trade of US$9.57 billion in 2017. The country is also the Philippines’ 3rd biggest investor worldwide, with US$ 201.49 million in 2017.The leaders of Singapore and the Philippines declared the outstanding bilateral relations between the two countries, and acknowledged that that there are numerous opportunities to advance, expand and intensify bilateral relations, including strengthening security cooperation.

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