Latest news with #CHEONG
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Air-sea transfers via Changi Airport would be a win for tourists, regulars at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal
A shuttle bus jointly operated by Changi Airport Group and Singapore Cruise Centre connects the airport and the ferry terminal in 12 to 24 minutes. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG Air-sea transfers via Changi Airport would be a win for tourists, regulars at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal SINGAPORE – All of Mr Saze Lim's family vacations – including his most recent one to Bangkok in early June – begin with a ferry ride from Batam to Singapore. His family prefers flying out of Changi Airport, instead of taking a domestic flight to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta. The 36-year-old Indonesian, a publisher, likes travelling via Changi Airport not only because the route is cheaper, but also because the airport is more efficient, has better facilities, and is a 'more enjoyable travel experience' for his family. A shuttle bus jointly operated by Changi Airport Group and Singapore Cruise Centre, which manages Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal (TMFT), connects the airport and the ferry terminal in 12 to 24 minutes. Over eight hours on June 2, The Straits Times observed more than 32 passengers with big luggage arriving at TMFT from or heading to the airport – none of them arrived at the ferry terminal by shuttle, and around five took the bus to Changi Airport. Seventeen of them live in Bintan or Batam, while others were travellers from China, Melbourne, Australia and Thailand. A British consultant living in Batam since 2017, who wanted to be known only as Paul, had just come from Changi Airport after holidaying in Hong Kong. The 65-year-old, who takes the ferry regularly when he travels, lamented that the shuttle bus service to the airport, which runs from 10am to 7.30pm with 13 trips a day, comes at odd intervals that are misaligned with ferry arrival timings. The mini bus also has little space to accommodate huge luggage. He had taken a cab to the terminal, but noted that the short ride between airport and ferry terminal is unpopular with taxi drivers. Getting a ride from TMFT to the airport is even more difficult, he added. 'The taxi queue is slow, and taxis don't generally come here. Most people I know catch bus service 35 to take the MRT to the airport rather than wait or try to book a taxi.' C hangi Airport Group said on May 14 that it was considering improvements to air-sea connections via the upcoming Changi Airport Terminal 5 (T5). It had raised the possibility of immigration-free airside transfers from T5 to the nearby TMFT – which would see travellers clearing immigration just once for both borders. For now, Mr Lim feels that clearing immigration at both TMFT and Changi Airport is but a small inconvenience, if one at all, given the savings. Domestic flights from Batam to other Indonesian cities are often more expensive than the quick 45-minute ferry ride to Singapore, he said. A one-way ferry ticket costs about $40, while a flight from Batam to Jakarta can run between $75 and $150. Bintan's Raja Haji Fisabilillah Airport only operates domestic flights that connect to Jakarta. There are limited international flight options from Batam's Hang Nadim Airport – to Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Mr Ferdy Fadli, a 23-year-old IT specialist living in Bintan, also took a ferry to Singapore when he travelled to Thailand for work at the end of May. He said his company picked this route because of the cost savings: Flying from Bintan to Jakarta, and then on to Bangkok, costs twice as much. ST found that the all-flights option can start from $680 for an economy ticket, while the ferry-then-flight option in the economy class costs around $225 – inclusive of a $43 ferry ticket . Additionally, the transit in Jakarta can stretch from five to 22 hours. Citing convenience, Mr Ferdy said he often takes the ferry-Changi route for his personal holidays, such as when he visited the Philippines in May 2024 and Taiwan in May 2025. For holidays, Mr Ferdy Fadli also takes a ferry from Bintan to Singapore, to catch a flight from Changi Airport. PHOTO: COURTESY OF FERDY FADLI For Batam resident Thomas Sinaga, a ferry ride is the first leg of any overseas holiday. From Changi Airport, the 27-year-old graphic designer has travelled to Thailand, Cambodia, Germany, and Spain. There are no direct flights between Batam and Phnom Penh, Mr Thomas said, and transiting in Jakarta is more expensive, especially if he needs to stay overnight in Jakarta due to flight timings. The two-flight route via Jakarta starts from around $ 500 , while the alternative with a ferry ride costs about $ 190 . Riau Islands beckon Indian tourist Aprijita Mehta, who had holidayed in Batam, was among the tourists ST spoke to. She took the ferry to Singapore before flying back to Mumbai via Changi Airport. The business owner, 37, planned this route for its convenience, and said she hopes to do the same to visit other islands near Singapore in future, as the ferry ride takes less than an hour and is a 'different experience'. For travel agency EU Holidays, demand for its Batam and Bintan tours originating from Singapore has remained relatively steady, with 1,569 bookings made in 2023 and 1,540 in 2024. From 2023 to the first half of 2025, around a quarter of its tour bookings to Batam, as well as close to 40 per cent of the Bintan bookings, were made by non-Singaporeans. Travel booking site Klook saw a 20 per cent increase in ferry ticket bookings in 2023 from the year before, followed by a 50 per cent rise in 2024. Ms Sarah Wan, general manager of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore at Klook, said the company anticipates a continuation of this upward trend, with bookings projected to grow by another 70 per cent by the end of 2025. She attributed this to a growing appetite for short-haul sea travel from Singapore, particularly from TMFT to nearby island escapes. She added that while the increase in ferry bookings is largely driven by Singaporean travellers, about 10 per cent comes from international visitors, which signals a growing opportunity when air-sea connections are enhanced by the upcoming T5. Mr Mayur Patel, head of Asia at aviation data consultancy OAG, said offering seamless air-sea transfers without clearing immigration from T5 would enhance Singapore's status as a regional transport and tourism gateway. He noted, however, that over 2 million air-sea transfers were handled at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) annually before the pandemic, and that the airport serves a large population of over 86 million in the Greater Bay Area. HKIA houses a ferry terminal within its premises that connects transfer passengers to nine ports, including those in Macau, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Passengers can skip immigration upon arrival at the airport, as long as they arrive at the airport's ferry ticketing counter 30 to 60 minutes before the ferry departs. In comparison, Mr Patel noted, the scale and long-term attractiveness of providing air-sea connectivity for T5 may seem lower, given that Changi Airport will serve around 4.18 million in Indonesia's Riau Islands and Southern Johor Coast. Ferries from TMFT go to Nongsapura in Batam, Desaru Coast in Malaysia, as well as Bintan Resorts, Lobam and Tanjung Pinang in Bintan. Nonetheless, going ahead with air-sea transfers could attract more regional passengers, reduce journey times and enhance connectivity to long-haul flights, he added. 'Demand already exists informally, and formalising it could unlock significant traffic flows.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Swimmers racing in a car park? How can you not go and watch?
The World Aquatics Championships Arena was constructed in a car park in the Kallang. PHOTO: MARK CHEONG 'Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare.' Muhammad Ali said this and who'd dare argue with The Greatest? But impossible in sport isn't just a sublime feat, or a piece of revolutionary equipment. Sometimes it's just a building. Like this gigantic, temporary, blue box constructed on a car park filled with 3.9 million litres of water. A piece of land in Kallang, where vehicles once stood stationary, is now a place where we will record movement in liquid during the World Aquatics Championships in July. Incredible? But then sport has always been a place of magic and imagination. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Motorcycle review: Peugeot XP400 GT a fierce French scooter in a dual-purpose guise
City carver: The Peugeot XP400 GT looks aggressive and proves to be a very capable ride. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG SINGAPORE – The Peugeot XP400 GT looks like a scooter that could take on the world with its fierce design and grand touring abilities. It has chunks of rubber at the edges of its tubeless tyres, wire-spoked wheels, hand guards usually found on dirt bikes and a 'beak' under its dual headlamps that could peck on any dirt road. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
06-06-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Car review: Unrealised potential in the Mini JCW Cooper Convertible
Driving with the roof down and the music up is the best way to enjoy the JCW Cooper Convertible. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG SINGAPORE – A car like the Mini JCW Cooper Convertible should rightly appeal to boomers. After all, the Mini brand name shares their vintage and the original Mini – which began production in 1959 – could well have been the first car for many of them. The nostalgic appeal would thus be a natural draw to the salt-and-pepper set, but they should steer clear of this particular Mini variant for two reasons. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Silicon Schengen: On chips, Europe charts new way forward
Speaking recently in Singapore, Dutch Economic Affairs Minister Dirk Beljaarts offered a glimpse into what some might call a Silicon Schengen – a new chips coalition launched in March. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG When the European Union unveiled its landmark Chips Act in 2023, the goal was ambitious: To double the bloc's share of global semiconductor production to 20 per cent by 2030. It was the continent's North Star, one that many hoped would catalyse efforts to build a more resilient and self-sufficient chips ecosystem in a world increasingly defined by strategic rivalry and supply chain risk . But two years on, as competition for chip manufacturing hots up, Europe's path remains anything but smooth. While construction of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co's (TSMC) first European facility began in Germany's Dresden in 2024, plans by Intel to open a major €30 billion (S$44 billion) fab in Germany's Magdeburg, along with a smaller supporting one in Poland, were postponed. The delay – due to the company's financial difficulties, high energy prices in Germany and a shortage of skilled local workers – seemed a bad omen. Today, Europe's chips plan looks unlikely to achieve its target, the European Commission – the EU's executive body – has conceded. The EU is projected to reach just 11.7 per cent by 2030, anchored still by the handful of European chipmakers like STMicroelectronics, Infineon and GlobalFoundries. So, rather than bank on mega projects to revitalise chipmaking in Europe, EU members are testing new ways to gain a bigger share of the semiconductor boom. But that requires countries striking different paths. The Netherlands to boost chips made by Europe Leading EU countries, restless for progress, are charting a new way to regain ground. Speaking recently in Singapore, Dutch Economic Affairs Minister Dirk Beljaarts offered The Straits Times a glimpse into what some might call a Silicon Schengen – a new chips coalition launched in March that he said could be expanded from the nine announced at that time to '14 or 15' like-minded member states. The Schengen policy, which facilities free movement of people within the EU and a few non-EU countries, started as a 1985 inter-government initiative to promote labour mobility, economic growth and social integration among five countries, and was subsequently incorporated into EU law in 1997. Though it is controversial, more than eight in 10 EU companies today consider it one of the bloc's key achievements and say it is good for business. The Semiconductor Coalition started as a Dutch idea floated at the Group of Seven meeting in Rome in October 2024. It pulls together the fastest European champions – Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the Netherlands – in the chips race, enabling them to brainstorm and collaborate on how to run even quicker. 'We're looking at what the industry needs to be successful. In this coalition, we are combining knowledge from the companies, research institutions and policymakers,' added the minister, whose key stated priorities include cutting red tape and lessening administrative burden. The coalition seeks to grow its slice of the global chips pie by strengthening its foothold on the entire value chain – from research and design, to fabrication and packaging – in a way that complements the EU's push to locate more of such facilities on European soil, Mr Beljaarts said. That hints at a different approach to not only growing the EU's chips footprint but also managing supply chain risk – not by building manufacturing within EU borders but by creating reliable partnerships up and down the chain. In other words: Focus on boosting chips made by Europe, rather than in Europe, and informally co-opt countries outside the EU into this Silicon Schengen. During our interview, Mr Beljaarts highlighted his visit to a newly opened wafer chip plant in Singapore, a joint venture between Dutch chip champion NXP and TSMC-backed Vanguard constructed in record time, which he described as 'mind-blowing'. The momentum gained by the chips coalition appears aligned with industry calls for an EU Chips Act 2.0 – to fix a cumbersome model requiring European Commission approval for projects despite funding provided by EU members so that public policy supports business ambitions. Yet, Mr Beljaarts' biggest challenge remains internal – in managing hard feelings. 'We are building the coalition not against the European Commission, but alongside it,' he told The Straits Times, careful to avoid any suggestions of supplanting the commission from the driver's seat. As a single trading bloc, all 27 EU countries share a joint trade policy. 'This is a positive agenda, aimed at self-reliance, resilience and strategic autonomy. It didn't start because something was wrong with the current EU Chips Act. But obviously it's something you have to do hand-in-hand, though it doesn't need to be orchestrated by the commission.' Will this coalition also grow in scope and teeth, and which are the additional countries? In response to queries, the Dutch embassy said the expansion remains in an exploratory phase and any updates will follow, without a specific timeline in mind, perhaps keen to manage sensitivities and emphasise an incremental approach. The push to catalyse new business opportunities in chips actually reveals what a tight spot the Netherlands is in. Its crown jewel, ASML, holds a virtual monopoly on the world's most advanced lithography machines essential to making cutting-edge chips. Yet, The Hague imposed added restrictions on some chipmaking tools in 2024, following pressure from Washington, a move that caused ripples, particularly in Beijing. It must create more opportunities, given its target of training 33,000 new technical jobs in chips in the next five years – and fast. Despite the challenges in walking this geo-economic tightrope, Mr Beljaarts is careful to keep the tone diplomatic. 'Not another week goes by that we're not talking or engaging with ASML on their expansion plans and the jobs they create... It is our gem, our key world player,' said the minister, who spent most of his career in the private sector. 'We invest what we can in education and in their expansion plans.' But he bristled at the idea that the Netherlands is merely acquiescing to US demands, or any suggestions that it has chosen a side. 'China is a very important country for the Netherlands. We have a lot of trade going back and forth,' he added, pointing to his upcoming visit to China some time in September or October. Mr Beljaarts was one of the most proactive European trade ministers to engage with the incoming Trump administration, having visited the US twice over the past year when it became clear Mr Trump could win the election, during which time he also touched base with Mr Robert Lighthizer, the former US trade representative and chief architect of the aggressive use of tariffs and other trade restrictions during the first Trump administration. But with new tariffs from Mr Trump covering 70 per cent of EU exports to the US, how effective was that engagement? 'It always pays off,' he said. 'Sitting at home behind your desk, there is only so much you can do, and the world is out there.' The Finnish formula: Go niche, go deep Finland, another small and trade-oriented economy in the Semiconductor Coalition, is taking a markedly different tack from the Netherlands. Unlike the US$1.1 trillion (S$1.4 trillion) Dutch economy that is deeply embedded in the global chip sector through national champions like ASML, ASM and NXP , Finland – a US$300 billion economy – lacks a major domestic foundry industry. But what it lacks in manufacturing heft, it makes up for with high-end innovation and research in system chip design and development – critical areas in its 'Chips from the North' strategy launched in 2024 to triple value-add and quadruple hiring to 20,000 in a decade. Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio was clear-eyed about both Finland's limitations and advantages. 'In global quantum computing, we already have the fastest supercomputer, we are investing in another and improving the supercomputer network,' he said. He and his Dutch counterpart were in Singapore for Semicon South-east Asia, a trade conference bringing together industry champions and innovators to showcase advances in the chips field. Competition will enable the Finns to prevail, the thinking goes. 'The free market drives itself and money will flow to the best technologies,' he added. Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio was clear-eyed about both Finland's limitations and advantages. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM Finland is leaning into its niche, investing in chip design, photonics and embedded systems, and leveraging its technical depth in quantum computing, 5G – built off a sprawling telecommunications ecosystem that is Nokia's legacy – and other chips-adjacent sectors to drive demand. Finland's approach stands in contrast to the EU Chips Act, which has thus far focused on reshoring high-volume chip manufacturing to European soil, with countries such as Germany and France vying to host fabs. Mr Tavio was not concerned about any perceived misalignment: 'We are the ideal subcontractors,' he said. 'Business-to-business is our model. Our companies make the components, equipment and software the bigger players rely on.' When asked how he was helping Finnish firms capture business opportunities in a variegated South-east Asian landscape, he was careful to avoid talk of pulling away from the pack and seeking preferential treatment for Finnish companies, pointing to the EU's primacy in pushing for treaties like the EU-Singapore Digital Trade Agreement, signed in early May. Engagement and pragmatism While in Singapore, both ministers had the opportunity to meet Singapore counterparts. Singapore and the Netherlands marked 60 years of relations, anchored by deep economic collaboration and individual ties, like with famed Dutch economist Albert Winsemius, who served as Singapore's economic adviser. Their balancing act on chips – between entrepreneurial state action and transatlantic consensus – is a reminder that even within a unified European strategy, national strategies to seize new opportunities in a growing field can differ. The headwinds posed by uncertainties wrought by US tariffs announced in April are significant, with the European Commission downgrading EU growth forecasts last week. Finland's response? Aggressive hunting. 'Smaller companies have a real drive to find an international market and new target countries. So the growth could actually be reasonable,' Mr Tavio said. 'They can actually come to Singapore and be successful,' he added, pointing to the Tuas mega port and plans to make it an intelligent system leveraging new technology solutions for port management, and Changi Airport Terminal 5's construction, both of which play to Finland's strengths in the maritime domain, green economy and clean energy. Opportunities for Asian countries Europe's strategy on chips and trade is entering a new phase. There is commonality on the level of values. Both Beljaarts and Tavio speak passionately about the need for openness, trade and multilateral rules. But they differ in execution. Where the Dutch see an opportunity to scale up industrial capacity and expand European supply chains, the Finns see an opportunity to specialise – and in doing so, avoid overreach. That is not a contradiction – the EU's strength lies in uniting diverse models. Here, there is opportunity, too, for Asia, as more European companies look east for markets, partnerships and investment opportunities. Both Mr Beljaarts and Mr Tavio spoke of Singapore in similar terms: as a hub, a gateway, a partner of trust. And that may be the lesson here. In a fragmented world, countries that can offer a friendly policy environment with networks to other investment destinations and access to international partners could see more business come their way. Europe's semiconductor project is a story still being written. As the chips fall where they may, the question is not whether the EU can stay unified – it is whether individual EU countries can create and seize new opportunities for the continent. Lin Suling is senior columnist at The Straits Times' foreign desk, covering global affairs, geoeconomics and key security developments. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
