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East Coast Plan unveiled

He is anticipating rain. :biggrin:

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from straitstimes.com:

Singapore and China lay groundwork towards post-Covid-19 world with new agreements

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SINGAPORE - As the relationship between Singapore and China evolves, the two countries are working together on new areas such as public health and coming up with ways to deepen connectivity, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Tuesday (Dec 8).

The groundwork is being laid now, even as strategies are being drawn up towards a more prosperous future together, he told the press after the 16th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) between Singapore and China.

The JCBC is the highest-level bilateral platform between both countries. It is jointly chaired by DPM Heng, who is also Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, and Chinese Vice-Premier Han Zheng.

Mr Heng identified connectivity, digitalisation and sustainable development as increasingly critical areas for collaboration in a post-Covid-19 world.

"With our two countries having successfully contained our outbreaks, enhancing connectivity will position our countries well for a new normal that is more digital and with greater emphasis on sustainability," said Mr Heng.

Ten memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and agreements on health, food safety and environment, among other things, were signed on Tuesday at the apex meeting held virtually.


Leaders also reviewed bilateral cooperation under the Belt and Road initiative, economic cooperation, trade and innovation, financial cooperation, public health cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and sustainable development, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.

They also discussed the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, which is a state-level bilateral cooperation project, the statement added.

Mr Heng said: "The substantive agenda this year reflects the breadth and depth of our cooperation. This builds on a strong foundation established by leaders on both sides, and successive generations of JCBC co-chairs."

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed how Singapore can continue to contribute to China's development strategies in the region for their bilateral projects, such as the Singapore-China Shenzhen Smart City initiative.

Mr Heng said: "Digitalisation has become more important... and going digital can help to raise quality of life in the city."

The Communications and Information Ministry and the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government signed an MOU on the Singapore-China (Shenzhen) Smart City Initiative at the JCBC meeting in Chongqing last year.

Communications and Information Minister S. Iswaran said at the briefing that significant progress on the initiative has been made since the MOU was signed in areas such as digital trade, cross-border data management and innovation and entrepreneurship.

On the Covid-19 travel measures, Mr Heng added that Singapore and China will be discussing how to better utilise the existing fast lanes, increase flight frequency and restore normal people-to-people exchanges at an appropriate time.

"This will contribute to the recovery of our economies and our people's livelihoods," he said.

On public health collaboration, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said at the briefing that it is important that both countries work closely together to enhance cooperation in public health management so as to protect the health of the people.

"Since the start of the pandemic, both countries have supported each other and discussed strategies of Covid-19 prevention and control, and how to safely resume social and economic activities," he added.
 
from straitstimes.com:

Work begins on Budget 2021 as DPM Heng briefs President on economic outlook

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SINGAPORE - Work to prepare for next year's government Budget has begun, with Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and officials from several agencies, as well as GIC and Temasek, briefing President Halimah Yacob and the Council of Presidential Advisers on Monday (Nov 30).

The Budget is traditionally presented in Parliament for debate in February, but preparation and consultation usually begin several months beforehand.

In a Facebook post, Madam Halimah noted that Monday's discussions centred on Covid-19 and its impact.

Apart from the near-term uncertainties brought on by the pandemic, she noted that a key question is whether Covid-19 has fundamentally changed the investment landscape.

Other key issues that need to be studied are the structural shifts that Covid-19 has caused to the macroeconomic environment, and how these factors would impact Singapore's long-term investment returns.

"We need a good handle on these issues, as we are effectively spending from our reserves based on these assumptions," she said.


"These are tough questions that we need to grapple with. There are no easy answers, but it is my responsibility as custodian of Singapore's past reserves to raise them for discussion," added the president.

"I am glad that the Government has also been thinking hard about these same issues."

President Halimah was briefed by Mr Heng, as well as officials from the Ministry of Finance (MOF), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC and investment company Temasek on their long-term macroeconomic outlook and the Government's proposed expected long-term real rates of return.

The investment entities had earlier discussed these forward projections of the returns with their respective boards, and MOF has reviewed these projections, said Madam Halimah.

"With my concurrence, Government can later apply these rates to relevant assets to derive the Net Investment Return Contribution (NIRC) for use in Budget 2021," she added.

The net investment returns framework allows the Government to spend up to 50 per cent of the expected long-term investment returns generated by Temasek, GIC and MAS - the three entities tasked to manage Singapore’s reserves.

The NIRC is the top contributor to the government coffers.

Mr Heng told Parliament in October that the design of the framework allows for a stable, sustainable source of income for the Budget, smoothed out over market cycles.
 
from straitstimes.com:

ST forum looks at how Asia can chart its path ahead amid pandemic, post-US elections

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SINGAPORE - The Covid-19 pandemic, a new president of the United States and changing power relations in the region are among the sea of changes to happen this year, affecting life as we know it.

The pandemic, in particular, has changed how we live, introducing concepts such as social distancing and increasing the use of technology at work.

The world is also set to feel the ripples emitted in a change of administration in its largest economy, raising the question of how trade tensions between US and China will play out in the new year.

Shining a spotlight on these prominent topics is The Straits Times Global Outlook Forum held online on Jan 11.

Titled "Asia and Asean: The Way Forward?", the annual conference is organised by The Straits Times in partnership with presenting sponsor OCBC Premier Banking.

The keynote speaker will be Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who is also Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies.

Mr Heng will also be taking questions from audience members in a 45-minute live segment moderated by Mr Warren Fernandez, editor-in-chief of Singapore Press Holdings' English/Malay/Tamil Media Group and ST editor.

A panel discussion moderated by the ST's US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh, who is based in Washington, follows the question-and-answer segment.

Mr Ghosh took up his assignment in Washington in 2016 and hosts the paper's ST Asian Insider video series that showcases an Asian perspective on global talking points of the week.

Participants include OCBC treasury research and strategy head Selena Ling, who is also a member of the OCBC Wealth Panel, ST associate editor Ravi Velloor, ST China bureau chief Tan Dawn Wei, and Caixin Media deputy managing editor Huang Shan.

Caixin Media runs China business and financial news outlets Caixin.com, CaixinGlobal.com and Caixin Weekly, among other publications.

Previous titles of the one-day annual forum include The Road Ahead: Life After Brexit For Britain And The EU in 2016 and 2017's Facing The Challenges Of A New World Order after the US elected Mr Donald Trump to be its president.

In 2019, the title then was "Navigating A World In Conflict", which discussed the growing trade tensions between US and China, the diplomatic spat between Japan and South Korea over wartime labour and the conflict between Pakistan and India over Kashmir.
 
from straitstimes.com:

Needy households in East Coast GRC to get energy-saving light bulbs

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Minister Maliki Osman helping to install a bulb at a resident's home, on Dec 20, 2020.


SINGAPORE - Around 400 needy households in East Coast GRC will soon be receiving energy-saving light bulbs to reduce their electricity bills, as part of a collaboration between the UAE Singapore Business Council (UAESBC) and the GRC's grassroots organisations.

The programme will use $20,000 in donations - half from the UAESBC and half from the South East Community Development Council (CDC) - to purchase the light bulbs, which will be given to the households.

The UAESBC, set up in 2018, aims to promote, support and enhance the development of commerce and business initiatives between the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.

On Sunday (Dec 20), the organisation presented its cheque of $10,000 to Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Maliki Osman, who received it on behalf of the grassroots organisations.

It had earlier pledged, under the initiative, to donate $5 for every 1kg of e-waste that is collected for recycling in East Coast GRC since October this year.

The GRC's grassroots organisations have been organising bi-monthly recycling drives since August this year, with the UAESBC sending volunteers to help elderly residents who are unable to carry the e-waste to the recycling collection points.

Dr Maliki, who is also the adviser to East Coast GRC grassroots organisations, said that about 1,519kg of e-waste has been collected since October, and the GRC is on track to meet the target of 2,000kg.

As part of the initiative, grassroots leaders will identify eligible households and ascertain the type of light bulbs needed.

The UAEBSC volunteers will then help install the light bulbs in the homes of the initiative's beneficiaries.

Along with the organisation's representatives, Dr Maliki also visited three needy families to install light bulbs in their homes on Sunday.

"We are heartened by the generosity of UAESBC to improve the well-being of our needy families," he said.

UAESBC president Brian Shegar said the organisation is delighted to participate in the programme.

"We were particularly drawn to the concept of promoting recycling in Singapore and helping fellow Singaporeans reduce electricity costs by changing to LED lights," he added.
 
UAE Singapore Business Council president Brian Shegar (left) presenting a cheque to Minister Maliki Osman, on Dec 20, 2020. :thumbsup:

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from theindependent.sg:

Heng Swee Keat reminds everyone to “thank our hawkers”

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Singapore—Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, along with other members of the East Coast GRC team, paid a special visit to the Bedok Marketplace @ 58 on Saturday, Dec 19.

DPM Heng wrote in a Facebook post that they went there for the express purpose of congratulating “our hawkers for the inscription of Singapore’s Hawker Culture on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.”

He noted how Singapore hawker culture has changed over the years, evolving from its humble beginnings as street food into fully functioning hawker centers.

The Deputy Prime Minister also noted that many of the hawkers he has encountered took on the trade of their parents and are second-generation hawkers, while others are new.

“Their culinary skills and ‘secret family recipes’ have been passed down by their elders, and honed through years of toil and sweat! Some are newer to the trade but are no less passionate.”
DPM Heng then encouraged everyone to thank hawkers when they see them. “Next time when you are out for a meal or da bao (take-away), do remember to thank our hawkers!”


Singapore applied nearly three years ago for its hawker culture to be included on UNESCO’s list. And last week, on Dec 16, a virtual conference comprised of a 24-member international panel unanimously accepted Singapore’s application.

A report in the straitstimes.com said that it only took around three minutes to approve the application submitted by the National Heritage Board, the National Environment Agency and the Federation of Merchants’ Associations.

UNESCO’s approving committee deemed it unnecessary to debate the nomination at the 15th session of the intergovernmental board as Singapore’s application had met all the requirements.

News of Singapore’s hawker culture’s inclusion in UNESCO’s list was a breath of fresh air in what has been a difficult year for many due to the Covid-19 pandemic, including many hawkers themselves, who have suffered from a loss of income due to restrictions on foot traffic this year.

DPM Heng wrote in a Facebook post on Dec 17, “A spark of joy as we approach the end of the year. Congratulations to #OurHawkerCulture for being inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list! This recognition is also an affirmation of our multicultural identity.

Food is our living heritage, and a unifying thread of our social fabric that brings people of diverse backgrounds together. Let’s keep our hawker legacy going — continue to support our hawkers so that they can continue to preserve our hawker culture and cook delicious makan for us!

#ThankYouHawkers“

As for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, he wrote in a Facebook post that the “biggest thanks must go to the generations of hawkers for nourishing a nation’s stomach and spirits. This recognition would not have come without their sweat, toil and dedication to their profession.”
 
from theindependent.sg:

Nicole Seah: Best way to support East Coast hawkers is to shine a light on what’s good

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Singapore—With the country’s hawker culture recently being added to the Unesco list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in mind, Workers’ Party (WP) politician Nicole Seah has found a way to give hawkers at East Coast a much-needed boost.

After all, the Covid-19 pandemic has made it difficult year for many businesses, especially food and beverage establishments, which have suffered from economic loss as foot traffic ceased due to restrictions because of the pandemic.

Earlier this year Ms Seah contested in the General Election at East Coast GRC under the WP banner and only narrowly lost to a People’s Action Party team headed by no less than Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister, Heng Swee Keat.

Since the GE, she has continued to work on the ground extending assistance to residents in various ways, such as legal aid and food distribution.


On Monday (Dec 21), Ms Seah wrote in a Facebook post, “Singapore’s hawker culture has been recognised as part of UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The hawker centres in East Coast GRC are particularly known for food so good that Singaporeans would travel across the island just to have a taste.”
She added, “The best show of support that we can give is to shine the spotlight on what’s good to eat, and encourage more Singaporeans to satiate their foodie cravings!”

The WP politician made mention of some of her favorites, including “the famous Ba Chor Mee family-run stalls in 85 and 58, kway chap at 216, carrot cake that has been at Blk 16 and Bedok Interchange, prata at Simpang Bedok, amongst many others.”

Ms Seah then asked the public for their recommendations, and they obliged.

“Good things must share,” she wrote.

One commenter recommended “a dessert stall at a new coffeeshop outside of the sheng shiong in Bedok central,” which used to be a KFC outlet.

“The stall name is Yum Yum I believe. My son and I tried 3 ice cream flavours there, earl grey tea, chendol, and speculoos. They were all good but the speculoos ice cream in particular was super shiok, very malty and biscuity flavour,” wrote the netizen.

Another agreed with Ms Seah that the Bak Chor Mee in East Coast is “one of the best ever!”

One netizen wrote that they “didn’t really want to share” but recommended a new outlet called 88 Hong Kong Roast at 308 Lavender St.

“Weekend if you don’t go early, it’s sold out,” they added. —/TISG
 
East Coast Plan = Bring in more FTrash to Sg = Become 4th World nation and bow down to our larger neighbouring counterparts
 
East Coast Plan = Bring in more FTrash to Sg = Become 4th World nation and bow down to our larger neighbouring counterparts

This is why you should Vote Opposition Until PAP Becomes The Opposition. :wink:
 
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