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12 Jan, 4 tweets, 2 min read
It's certainly more than 50% efficacy as reported last month. Though barely more so, by 0.4%. reuters.com/article/us-hea… ImageImage
Meanwhile, you can count on GT to strike a very upbeat tone that most likely won't help ameliorate public concerns about transparency over Beijing's vaccine data, nor will it help ameliorate negative public acceptance in several countries e.g. Philippines. globaltimes.cn/page/202101/12…
“I’m not rejecting vaccines, I’m rejecting Sinovac’s,” said Yusdeny Lanasakti, an East Java doctor who is worried about the vaccine’s efficacy. reuters.com/article/us-hea…
When all else fails to convince, invoke the Duterte-Xi bromance. Not that it really helps assuage public concerns, I believe. Instead, it begs for more questions than anything else. news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/14/21/…

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More from @CollinSLKoh

Collin Koh Profile picture
14 Jan
THREAD: Since there's no background context provided here, I shall chip in to dispel the notion that the SCS arbitration brought forth by then Aquino Administration against Beijing in 2013 is "destabilizing" as claimed here.
Scarborough Shoal falls within Philippine EEZ. Due to its capacity shortfalls in enforcing fishery protection, Manila's enforcement in the shoal against foreign fishermen operating there had at best been intermittent throughout the decades. 1/
If one bothers to catalogue the instances of maritime activities in Scarborough Shoal, it's possible to uncover instances where PH maritime forces managed to apprehend PRC fishermen in the shoal. Beijing would protest but nothing more than that. 2/
Read 19 tweets
Collin Koh Profile picture
14 Nov 20
THREAD: Regarding such claim, we should of course exercise some caution and seek to ascertain its veracity. One way is PRC official publication of the circumstances of this test and outcomes, or Pentagon confirmation. Either way may not be forthcoming. scmp.com/news/china/mil…
1/: as an engineer by training, I’m aware there are practical limits to systems. It’s not as simple as launching a missile and expecting it to hit. A host of physical factors has to be accounted for. Even more complicated is having a ballistic missile hit a moving target.
2/: let’s assume the PLA has over the years honed its ISR capabilities focusing on the near seas, which is less ambitious compared to a global strike complex, there’s after all the possibility that the PLA manages to minimise the intervening physical factors to an accurate shot.
Read 12 tweets
Collin Koh Profile picture
13 Nov 20
Generally I find RAND research outputs really insightful and useful. But sorry to say that this report is afflicted by certain stereotypes, and some wishful thinking about areas for future cooperation. rand.org/pubs/research_…
THREAD 1/: As of this writing, Singapore’s economic performance is sluggish, and national elections in 2020 marked a
transition to a new generation of leaders. Given these considerations, Singapore is undertaking
an effort to boost its ties with Beijing (p.12)
2/: Since the upheavals in 2016, SG has already undertaken efforts to mend ties with Beijing, and recent moves represent a continuation, not a "boost" as asserted by the authors. It also implied the new-gen leadership is inclined towards policy shift. This is incorrect.
Read 20 tweets
Collin Koh Profile picture
24 Aug 20
THREAD: so much to unpack in one sentence: "Worsening China-US ties are not good to overseas Chinese communities, considering that Chinese Singaporeans make up 75 percent of its population." H/t: @SCS_Disputes globaltimes.cn/content/119827…
Singaporean Chinese, not Chinese Singaporean. Nation first, ethnicity second. This is what defines Singapore as a multi-ethnic society, where national identify binds diverse ethnicity and cultures together. And this has been drilled in primary school since my times at least. 1/
The allusion that "Chinese Singaporeans" are "overseas Chinese communities" is outright misleading and patronizing. This label perhaps applies to my grandparents' generations, since they were emigres who directly came to colonial SG from China (back then PRC didn't exist). 2/
Read 9 tweets
Collin Koh Profile picture
10 Jul 20
Just witnessed it myself after I fulfilled my citizenry rights: long queues with minimal enforcement of social distancing, disposable gloves dispensed with just to speed up the process. In summary, holding an election amidst a pandemic is simply careless and opportunistic.
I’m not a political scientist who specialises in Singapore’s politics but as a concerned citizen born and bred in this tiny island city state, I’ll like to offer some observations. A long thread to share with those of you who may be keen on SG general elections yesterday. 1/
GE2020 results as shown. It’ll appear that PAP got an almost clean sweep of all 93 seats in the unicameral parliament, which might have fulfilled PM Lee’s call for a strong mandate amidst the pandemic crisis. But there’s much more than it meets the eye here. 2/
Read 33 tweets
Collin Koh Profile picture
29 Jun 20
Short thread: Recall despite the Asian Financial Crisis in 1990s and global economic recession in 2008, Singapore persisted with its defense programmes. Pandemic and its economic uncertainty now puts this "neither feast nor famine" policy in question. straitstimes.com/singapore/saf-…
Some useful materials here from Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen's SAF Day 2020 interview can be found here, including transcript of the chat, and accompanying materials on key training initiatives and defense acquisition programmes. sgpc.gov.sg/media_releases… 1/
"Even for 2021, next year, full recovery remains uncertain.
MINDEF/SAF are taking measures to cut cost where we can without compromising critical operations or reduction in SAF’s medium and long-term capabilities. We will continue to be prudent in our spending," Ng said. 2/
Read 9 tweets

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