Singapore, Malaysia to keep supply chains going amid emergency: minister

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Singapore has been preparing itself for potential disruptions to its supplies and supply chains.- ST

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): 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 on Wednesday (Jan 13).

Chan was speaking to reporters during a visit to speciality chemicals company DuPont Singapore. When asked about the latest developments in Malaysia and whether it would affect Singapore's supply chain, he said: "We are in close contact with our Malaysian counterparts regarding the latest movement control, 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."

Chan added that over the last few days, Singapore's supplies and trade flows with Malaysia have continued "as per normal".

He added 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, said Chan.

"So we must not be complacent and take for granted that the supply chains have stabilised," he added.

"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."

Chan added that at the moment, Singapore is "quietly confident, but we are not complacent".

"We continue to review the resilience of our supply chains on a daily basis for all our food items and all our essential products," he said.

Chan also thanked Singaporeans for staying calm and adaptable in buying products from different parts of the world.

"So long as we stay calm, we are able to adapt to the situation and will be able to utilise the diversity of our supply chains to keep our food supply and essential supplies adequate," he said. - The Straits Times/Asia New Network