Singapore, Malaysia working to keep supply chains going: Minister
Singapore and Malaysia will continue to work closely to keep supply chains going amid the movement control restrictions and state of emergency declared in Malaysia, said Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing yesterday.
Mr Chan was speaking to reporters during a visit to speciality chemicals company DuPont Singapore.
When asked about the latest developments in Malaysia and whether they would affect Singapore's supply chain, he said: "We are in close contact with our Malaysian counterparts regarding the latest movement control (restrictions) and also the state of emergency.
"I've exchanged texts with my counterparts and I think we have shared our commitment to make sure that we continue to keep our trade flows going, keep our supply chains going, to the benefit of both countries."
Mr Chan added that over the last few days, Singapore's supplies and trade flows with Malaysia have continued "as per normal".
MOVEMENT RESTRICTIONS
On Monday, Malaysia announced fresh nationwide movement restrictions to curb the soaring number of new Covid-19 cases.
Melaka, Johor, Penang, Selangor, Sabah and the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, re-entered the movement control order from yesterday till Jan 26.
Mr Chan said that since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Singapore has been preparing itself for potential disruptions to its supplies and supply chains by diversifying the latter, and also by stockpiling and stepping up local production where possible.
These disruptions could result from the ongoing pandemic, policy measures such as export restrictions, or climate change, he added.
"So we must not be complacent and take for granted that the supply chains have stabilised," said Mr Chan.
"In fact, our working assumption is that, given the surge in (Covid-19) cases across the world, we must be prepared for disruptions to our supply chains across the entire world and not just Malaysia."
- THE STRAITS TIMES
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