<![CDATA[Coronavirus: Singapore to put together assistance package for China, confident Beijing can weather crisis]>

Singapore on Monday announced it would put together an assistance package for China, which is battling to stem the coronavirus outbreak, with the island nation's leaders stressing they had the utmost confidence in Beijing to weather the crisis.

The coronavirus, which was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has infected over 17,000 people around the world, killing more than 360.

Singapore's health minister Gan Kim Yong on Monday told parliament the coronavirus had become "not just a problem for China but for the world".

"We have to work together and collaborate with each other. For this reason, Singapore will be putting together an assistance package to help communities in China affected by the novel coronavirus," he said, without elaborating on what the package would entail.

His comments came just days after Singapore barred all foreign passport holders travelling from mainland China from entering or transiting through the city state, becoming the first Southeast Asian country to do. The United States made a similar move hours later, with Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines following suit over the weekend.

Other Asian countries including Japan and Malaysia have taken less drastic steps, restricting only Chinese travellers from Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak.

In a February 1 conversation with his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated that the World Health Organisation (WHO) did not recommend measures to restrict international travel and trade, prompting concerns that Singapore's move would be seen in a negative light.

China has been Singapore's largest trading partner since 2013, and the city state is China's largest foreign investor.

With about 250,000 Chinese tourists flocking to the Lion City each month, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted on Friday that the travel ban would "hurt" the island nation, with national development minister Lawrence Wong saying the number of Chinese tourists had already fallen by about 80 per cent since the virus outbreak.

Over the weekend, Lee stressed that Singapore's move was "purely to protect" Singaporeans' public health, and that it was in line with China's own border control efforts.

"It is a much stronger response than they took when Sars first broke out, so our efforts ... will complement China's efforts," he said, referring to the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in 2003 that killed more than 700 worldwide.

"We wish China well in their efforts to fight the virus," Lee said, adding that the anti-China sentiments amplified on social media were not helpful in fighting what was a global problem.

Lee's comments were generally viewed positively by Chinese state media and those on Chinese social media. The Chinese foreign ministry however singled out the US and "some other developed countries" with sound health care systems for imposing travel restrictions on China.

Said ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Monday: "We hope some countries will see the epidemic and China's efforts in an impartial and rational manner ... and take proper measures that won't unnecessarily interfere with international travel."

Analysts in Singapore felt the island nation's move would not have an impact on bilateral ties.

Dylan Loh, assistant professor of social sciences at Nanyang Technological University, said China would not be happy with Singapore's move but would understand the country's situation.

"Singapore's response has been measured. We did not ban all travellers right from the get-go as we slowly escalated our response according to the evolving situation," he said, adding that this showed that the government was careful in its decision, and that it was not a total ban as reviews are possible on a case-by-case basis.

Loh said there would be little impact on Sino-Singaporean ties as China's criticism was more acutely directed at countries such as the US.

The US had presented itself as a "different creature" to China as lawmakers there had been quick to criticise " and politicise " the virus by highlighting issues of transparency, governance, and information control, he added.

"Singapore has not done so, and in fact, has consistently voiced its support for the Chinese government's efforts to combat the outbreak," Loh said.

Chong Ja Ian, a National University of Singapore professor who closely tracks Singapore-China ties, said Beijing seemed to be more upset with other countries that have implemented similar travel bans.

For example, China's acting ambassador to Israel Dai Yuming on Sunday compared the travel restrictions to the Holocaust, causing a stir for which Beijing later apologised.

Chong said, however, that China "may take some action" in the future against countries that had banned its citizens.

"Some reports note that countries more economically dependent on China have been more reticent about travel restrictions," he said. "Perhaps there might be some preferential economic treatment in the future but that is speculation so far."

Chong said the assistance package announced on Monday was likely a move to demonstrate goodwill despite the travel restrictions.

He noted other countries such as South Korea had been doing the same by delivering epidemic prevention and control supplies " something Chinese foreign affairs ministry spokesperson Hua had lauded.

Hua on Monday said supplies had been donated by about a dozen countries, including Indonesia, Japan, France and Iran.

"Friends from all walks of life in many countries have also offered us support. A friend in need is a friend indeed. I'd like to thank them all," she said, adding that China was urgently in need of medical masks, protective suits, and safety goggles.

Free face masks for residents at a distribution centre in Singapore on February 2. Photo: AFP alt=Free face masks for residents at a distribution centre in Singapore on February 2. Photo: AFP

James Char, associate research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said Beijing was unlikely to be upset by Singapore's move, citing the two countries' long-standing relations.

"If we were to look at the previous Sars episode, neither did that cause any fundamental change in the trajectory of Sino-Singaporean ties, which have been going strong since the formal establishment of relations and will continue to be so," he said.

Singapore has reported 18 cases of the virus, most of whom are travellers from Wuhan. Health minister Gan said the virus "could mutate to become more infectious", and that the ministry had increased the capacity of isolation beds by about 100 in the past two weeks.

"We have also been increasing our testing capacity, to enable us to more quickly confirm suspect[ed cases]," he said.

Wong, the national development minister and co-chair of Singapore's multi-ministry task force for the virus, said some 524 people were under quarantine, with 302 serving home quarantine.

This meant they had to report their health status thrice daily via video call, and that spot checks would be done to ensure they comply.

Wong also assured businesses that they would receive help from the government as industries such as tourism reeled from the effects of dwindling Chinese tourists.

Singapore's tourism board on Sunday said license fees for hotels, travel agents and tour guides would be waived, while cleaning costs would be defrayed for hotels used by those who had been confirmed or suspected of having the virus.

Wong also said there were about 140 Singaporeans currently in Wuhan, adding that most of them had spouses who might not be Singaporeans, hence their decision to remain in China.

Singapore's foreign minister Vivian Balaksrishnan said efforts were being made to bring back those who wanted to return home. "We will not leave anyone behind. We will look out for you," he said.

Sign up now for our 50% early bird offer from SCMP Research: China AI Report. The all new SCMP China AI Report gives you exclusive first-hand insights and analysis into the latest industry developments, and actionable and objective intelligence about China AI that you should be equipped with.

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.