Singapore

From mandatory swab tests to empty middle seats to limited inflight meals, flying could look very different when air travel rebounds. The programme Insight finds out more. SINGAPORE: Airlines round the world are expected to face a long and painful road to recovery. Border closures and curbs on air travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with lingering concerns over travelling in crowded and confined spaces, will make it difficult for travel demand to surge, at least in the near future. So what can airlines do to ensure their continued survival beyond tapping government support, accessing credit facilities and even considering mergers? Experts believe the answer lies in airlines restoring public confidence by making the travel experience as safe as possible. This means, howeve...

HONG KONG: Many Hong Kong residents are scouring for new jobs and homes overseas, fearful that a new national security law imposed by Beijing will crush coveted rights not enjoyed on the mainland and herald a new authoritarian era for China's Special Administration Region (SAR). Beijing bypassed the city's legislature to approve the law directly this week, heightening anxiety over its impact on the former British colony of 7.4 million people that is a global financial hub and gateway for capital flows in-and-out of China. Immigration lawyers and consultants, property agents and recruitment groups from Australia to Canada all told Reuters they were inundated with enquiries from Hong Kong residents. "Hong Kong demand for international real estate and residency programmes has rocketed ...

One of the key questions in Japan’s present national security debate is how to manage China’s “predatory” geoeconomics. Where does Tokyo stand in crafting an effective economic security strategy? Beijing has systematically integrated economic and financial instruments into its foreign policy with the objective of advancing its grand strategic ambitions. From the "Belt and Road" initiative to Made in China 2025, Beijing shrewdly incorporated geoeconomic tools of statecraft into its grand strategic thinking. China’s coercive economic maneuvering employs trade, investments, technology, internationalizing of currency and even weaponization of resource supply chains toward geopolitical ends. Thus, reorienting Japan’s economic security strategy constitutes a top priority for Prime Minister Shi...

A heated exchange of words is unhelpful when the superpowers need each other, especially in view of the economic downturn exacerbated by the pandemic this year, says Yew Chiew Ping. SINGAPORE: As protests over the police killing of George Floyd raged in the US, the chaotic scenes of fire and tear gas called to mind the anti-extradition bill protests in Hong Kong which started a year ago. China’s pent-up anger at US support of the Hong Kong protests found a release, as its diplomats jumped on the opportunity to conflate the two protests and accuse the US of hypocrisy and double standards. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian questioned the US’ reference to those Hong Kong protesters as heroes while labeling American protesters thugs. In late May, when the US State Departme...

Ministers from 15 Asia-Pacific countries negotiating a sprawling free trade agreement agreed Tuesday to continue aiming for a deal by the end of the year, while keeping the door open for India to return to the talks. “We believe that India’s participation in (the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) would contribute to the advancement and prosperity of the region. We therefore wish to emphasize that the RCEP remains open for India,” the ministers said in a joint statement following a videoconference. The 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations along with China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand said last November that they had concluded the bulk of negotiations. But India, which is concerned that opening up its market would cause its trade deficit wi...

SINGAPORE: Enhanced safety measures for Singapore Airlines (SIA), SilkAir and Scoot flights are being rolled out to protect passengers and crew amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the airlines announced on Sunday (Jun 7). This comes as travel is set to pick up again, with the resumption of more flights this month and transit operations recommencing at Changi Airport. From Monday, passengers on all SIA Group flights will be given a kit with a surgical mask, anti-bacterial wipes and hand sanitiser when they travel, said SIA in a news release. An enhanced cleaning process has also been implemented for aircraft and lounges, said the national carrier. SIA said it was also looking to trial an ultra-violet light cleaning procedure on the ground for its lavatories before every flight. Passe...

Two U.S. aircraft carriers kicked off joint exercises in the Philippine Sea on Sunday, a day after Southeast Asian leaders delivered some of their strongest remarks opposing Beijing’s claim to virtually the entire South China Sea on historical grounds. The USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Groups began the drills to bolster the United States’ “responsive, flexible, and enduring commitments” to mutual defense agreements with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific, the Navy said in a statement. The dual carrier exercises also came exactly a week after the Nimitz and another carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt conducted their own joint operations in the area. It is rare to see three U.S. aircraft carriers operating at the same time in the Western Pacific and even more unusual...

SINGAPORE: Chinese buyout firm Hopu is partnering with key shareholders of Perennial Real Estate Holdings, including Wilmar International and its CEO, to take Perennial private in a deal that values it at S$1.58 billion. The consortium, which includes firms owned by entrepreneur Ron Sim and Perennial's CEO, said late on Friday (Jun 12) that the offer comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has roiled the global economy. Perennial is a Singapore-listed real estate and healthcare firm. The acquirer said it has secured undertakings from about 82 per cent of Perennial's shareholders, and that Hopu will provide funding to purchase the rest of Perennial's shares from the non-consortium shareholders. "Perennial will require a significant amount of capital to pursue its growth objective...