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On Saturday (April 11), Temasek CEO Ho Ching, who is also the wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, made a Facebook post in which he wrote, “Errrr …” regarding an article in News claiming that Taiwan is donating face-masks to Singapore.
Taiwanese netizens asked Mdm Ho to explain the meaning of his post and said that if Singapore is not interested in the donated masks, it can decline the offer.
Following the ambiguous publication of Mdm Ho, and the continuing flame of Taiwanese netizens, Singapore Matters, a fan page of the Pro-Action People’s Party (PAP), posted on Facebook the same day, claiming that small countries like Singapore are vulnerable in a global crisis like All countries act to protect their own interests.
The post, which has since been removed and republished, largely referenced Mdm Ho’s comments about ST Engineering and the Taiwan government’s ban on masks, but also hinted that Taiwan was keeping the stock of Singapore masks.
The Singapore Matters publication noted that “Singapore would have more than enough masks if it weren’t for Taiwan’s export ban,” explaining that a Singaporean company called ST Engineering that produces Air + N95 and XS masks for the population of Singapore is based in Taiwan.
The publication explained: “Following the first news of the coronavirus outbreak in China last year, ST Engineering has already received instructions and instructions from the Singapore government to increase its mask manufacturing.”
He added: “Benevolent as always, Singapore probably also wanted to help the other countries.”
The publication went on to say that the action was slated to leave Taiwan for Singapore after the Chinese New Year, however the Taiwanese government decided to ban exports of all masks. This meant that ST Engineering was unable to deliver its masks to Singapore.
Singapore Matters went on to say that “the Singapore government took action,” adding that many Singaporeans were unaware that behind-the-scenes plans were made to prepare the factory space for local mask production, as two production lines of ST engineering moved to Singapore. Similar to what Mdm Ho said in his own comment.
The pro-PAP fan page then quoted directly from a previous Mdm Ho post: “Innosparks, an innovation subsidiary of ST Engineering has established its Air + N95 mask production in Singapore in recent months, working around the clock. They are not starting to produce their Air + N95 as a priority for our frontline healthcare workers. Thank you very much to the Innosparks team and to everyone who has helped along the way to make this a real option. “
Singapore Matters then added that ST Engineering is working with its Taiwanese partners to add more production lines to develop local medical capabilities so that Singapore can be self-sufficient.
The publication concluded by asking and then answering the question of what lesson could be drawn from this experience. He said: “It is that small countries like Singapore are very vulnerable in a global crisis, since all countries will act to protect their own interests. Therefore, it is vital that we develop capabilities in key areas that are existential. ”
Many Singapore netizens used the Singapore Matters post to argue against Taiwanese netizens that they were unhappy with Mdm Ho’s Facebook post, causing the matter to escalate beyond what Mdm Ho had written or implied .
This saga has been widely covered by Taiwanese news, and the Taiwanese government has responded by stating that its bilateral policy will not be affected by statements by individuals.
Taiwan lawmaker notes last STE shipment went to Korea, not Singapore
The point is that a notice in the Taiwan Ministry of Economy dated January 23 stated that due to the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), it is adding “masks made of textile materials with a filtering effect of 94 % or more “and” masks of other textile materials “in the restricted output product list.
It specifically notes that if the exporter already sold its stock to a foreign customer before January 24 and the company can provide the proper documentation to demonstrate that payment has been made, those products can be shipped.
Essentially, if ST Engineering had already sold its shares to Singapore before January 24, the masks would have returned to the country with no problems from the Taiwan government.
Today (April 13), a Taiwanese lawmaker, Lin Chuyin, shared in her Facebook post that the N95 masks that ST Engineering produced and listed with Taiwanese Customs on January 22 were already shipped on January 29. The graph in its publication also noted that the shipment of 54,000 masks was destined for Korea, not Singapore.
According to more information it obtained from the country’s Ministry of Commerce, ST Engineering’s two production lines also left Taiwan via the airport on February 12, meaning the company was no longer manufacturing masks in Taiwan after that date.
So how can Taiwan retain Singapore N95 masks, as Singapore Matters hints at?
