Joint Statement: The U.S. Department of Commerce and Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry Meet for the Second U.S.-Singapore Partnership for Growth and Innovation Annual Dialogue

Export and Investment Promotion, ICT Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Clean Energy, Standards

U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Marisa Lago and Singapore Permanent Secretary (Policy) of the Ministry of Trade and Industry Gabriel Lim met in Singapore on Monday for the second U.S.-Singapore Partnership for Growth and Innovation (PGI) annual dialogue. The PGI is a bilateral economic cooperation platform designed to secure inclusive growth for both nations’ economies and regions by strengthening U.S.-Singapore collaboration in new and forward-looking areas. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Singapore Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong launched the PGI in October 2021. The inaugural PGI annual dialogue was held in Washington D.C. in October 2022.

Under Secretary Lago and Permanent Secretary Lim issued the following statement:

“Since launching the PGI nearly two years ago, our two governments have together made progress in four areas of strategic importance, including: advanced manufacturing and supply chain resilience, clean energy and environmental technologies, digital economy and smart cities, and healthcare.

“For each of these pillars, we have committed to achieving shared policy goals through bilateral and regional collaboration on initiatives designed to expand our commercial and economic relationships. We have also facilitated closer engagement and notable business outcomes between U.S. and Singaporean companies, such as with new partnerships to advance clean energy and innovative healthcare solutions.

“Our bilateral work under PGI complements our broader engagement within the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). We welcomed the announcement of the substantial conclusion of the IPEF Supply Chain Agreement negotiations at the IPEF ministerial meeting in Detroit, Michigan in May. We look forward to deepening our collaboration with IPEF partners to enhance resiliency and diversification of our supply chains, advancing our transition to cleaner economies, and enhancing the commercial environment by effectively implementing and accelerating progress on anti-corruption measures and tax initiatives.

In the first half of 2023, we focused primarily on the PGI’s digital economy and smart cities pillar and have made significant progress. We will continue this work while also increasing activities under the PGI pillars on advanced manufacturing and supply chain resilience and clean energy and environmental technologies during the second half of the year.”  

Below is a recap of recent digital economy and smart cities highlights.  

• To facilitate cross-border data flows globally and promote effective data protection and privacy, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) have worked closely to establish and expand the Global Cross Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) Forum, which enables trusted data flows, helps businesses reach global markets, and enhances digital trade by providing an interoperable mechanism for effective data protection and privacy globally. In March 2023, DOC and IMDA co-hosted a capacity-building workshop, Facilitating Cross-Border Data Flows in Southeast Asia, which brought together over 90 participants from 10 countries throughout the region, representing both government and industry. Additionally, DOC and IMDA collaborated on outreach to members of the Forum of Small States on the benefits of the Global CBPR Forum during the 2023 Asia Tech x Singapore (ATxSG) event in Singapore.
• To provide U.S. and Southeast Asian governments and cities with the strategies, technologies, and resources to become more resilient and secure, DOC hosted Singapore’s Government Technology Agency for a Southeast Asia Secure Smart Cities Exchange in the San Francisco Bay Area in April. That event was held as part of the U.S.-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Smart Cities Partnership. DOC’s International Trade Administration (ITA) and National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) also coordinated with the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore on an ASEAN cybersecurity standards workshop co-organized in May with U.S. industry and the ASEAN Secretariat.
• To promote trustworthy and responsible artificial intelligence (AI) and foster interoperability of AI governance frameworks, NIST and IMDA have embarked on a joint mapping exercise between the NIST AI Risk Management and Singapore AI Verify frameworks.
• To showcase the United States’ private sector capabilities and leadership on emerging technologies, DOC convened a technology showcase on 5G, 6 Gigahertz Wi-Fi, and AI at AT x Enterprise the week of June 5.
• To support the building of digital capabilities in the region, IMDA is continuing to work with DOC to curate an annual course on the Digital Economy for Southeast Asian countries under the Singapore-U.S. Third Country Training Program, in areas such as digital regulation, AI governance, cross-border data flows, and supporting digital transformation for small- and medium-sized enterprises.

During the week of June 5, DOC and IMDA also met with U.S. and Singapore businesses at a technical workshop organized by the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council on the digitalization of trade that focuses on emerging frameworks such as Singapore’s TradeTrust. TradeTrust was designed by Singapore to enable trusted interoperability of electronic trade documents and to ensure that these documents are verifiable and any tampering is made evident.

Upcoming PGI digital economy pillar work will include joint U.S.-Singapore programming at the November 2023 Singapore FinTech Festival on how to foster innovations that better serve the evolving needs of consumers, companies, investors, and governments. We also plan to continue deepening our cooperation on cybersecurity, including through U.S.-Singapore Cyber Dialogue joint programming at the October 2023 Singapore International Cybersecurity Week, and through exploring opportunities to collaborate on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework update and discuss U.S. and Singapore cybersecurity labeling initiatives.

Under the advanced manufacturing and supply chain resilience pillar, our teams will continue to explore ways we can work together to improve supply chain resilience and enhance digital business and trade processes, including by organizing a series of public-private dialogues on questions stakeholders should be considering on these topics. Work through this pillar will include the maritime industry and reflect existing U.S.-Singapore maritime ties. We support the April 2023 Memorandum of Understanding between the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, the Port of Los Angeles, and the Port of Long Beach to establish a green and digital shipping corridor between Singapore and the San Pedro Bay port complex.

In the second half of 2023, we will expand our work on the clean energy and environmental technologies pillar to promote sustainability and adoption of high-quality climate standards in Southeast Asia. The U.S. and Singapore plan to:

• Host a virtual workshop in July 2023 with the Singapore Water Association to highlight U.S. technologies and best practices for coastal protection;
• Explore cooperation on the development and alignment of greenhouse gas emissions measurement standards, including through activities organized on the margins of the August 2023 APEC Third Senior Officials Meeting in Seattle, Washington;
• Collaborate to advance Singapore’s National Hydrogen Strategy, including through engagement at the September 2023 Gastech Exhibition and Conference in Singapore;
• Organize a public-private sector roundtable on carbon capture, utilization, and storage on the sidelines of Singapore International Energy Week in October 2023; and
• Explore engagement from the National Environment Agency, the Waste Management and Recycling Association of Singapore, and other stakeholders at upcoming events to highlight joint commercial cooperation and promote trade in environmental solutions, including WasteExpo 2024 and CleanEnviro Summit Singapore 2024.   

The U.S. Department of Commerce, Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry, and Singapore Ministry of Communications and Information will continue to hold regular discussions and maintain their close working relationships under the PGI to promote trade and investment among the United States, Singapore, and Southeast Asia.