This is the wife of #Singapore's prime minister. I don't understand her reaction, can someone explain

So there are dubious pages on Facebook, like "Global Times Singapore" (not affiliated to the actual @globaltimesnews as far as I can tell), blaming #Taiwan for the initial shortage of masks in #Singapore 'cos of its mask export ban.

#Singapore did have a mask production company w/ 2 production lines based in #Taiwan, but it's been moved back to Singapore. From Ho Ching's Facebook page, it seems as if they have been in production since.

Some replies to me claim that #Taiwan confiscated masks that were meant for Singapore, but I haven't been able to find a source for that yet. A friend did send me this news report from February...

This Taiwanese news report from February says that the government ban was on exporting masks, not production lines. A Taiwanese official also said that talks to move the production lines took place as early as last year:

In response to online reactions to Ho Ching's "Errr..." post, #Taiwan's @MOFA_Taiwan says that #Singapore and Taiwan have a long-standing relationship, and that Taiwan's offer of aid was received positively. Both parties now coordinating. https://udn.com/news/story/6656/4486399?from=udn_ch2_menu_v2_main_index

Did anyone see reporting or outcry about #Taiwan banning mask exports affecting #Singapore in February? I’m curious how this all seems to be coming out now that Taiwan has offered to donate masks to us. This is our Speaker of Parliament

Update: this tweet appears to have been deleted https://twitter.com/kixes/status/1249560405287948288?s=21 https://twitter.com/kixes/status/1249560405287948288

Back in late January #Singapore’s government said that there was a sufficient supply of masks. At that time (actually until late March) Singapore’s position was that you don’t need to wear a mask unless unwell. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/supply-of-masks-in-singapore-sufficient-no-need-to-rush-to-buy-them-lam-pin-min

Ho Ching has modified her Facebook post. #Taiwan #Singapore

#Taiwan legislator Lin Chu-yin's FB post says that shipments of masks from ST Engineering's production lines were last shipped to #Singapore on 14 Jan, with two later shipments to #Malaysia and #SouthKorea. The production lines themselves were shipped out on 12 Feb.

Lin Chu-yin also says ST Engineering's lines made N95 masks and weren't included as part of the machines requisitioned by the government. If they had needed to export masks after 24 Jan (when the ban on mask exports came in) they could have applied w/ the relevant authorities.

If this is the case, then the narrative circulating in #Singapore social media (fed by Ho Ching's "Errr..." post) that #Taiwan first confiscated "our" masks earlier before trying to opportunistically look good by donating masks to us now doesn't seem to hold true.

I still haven't seen that narrative in respected sources in #Singapore. If Ho Ching's earliest message, plus the Speaker of Parliament's now-deleted tweet, were indeed picking up on those narratives, that makes me wonder what they're reading on social media...