SINGAPORE: The United States has congratulated Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) on their landslide victory in the General Election on Saturday (May 3).
In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration looked forward to working closely with the newly elected government.
“For nearly 60 years, the United States and Singapore have shared a strong and enduring strategic partnership and a commitment to a secure, free, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” he added.
“We look forward to continuing to work closely with the newly elected government and Prime Minister Wong to strengthen economic growth and our bilateral defense and security ties, which benefit Americans, Singaporeans, and others across the region.”
In its first General Election under Mr Wong, the ruling PAP won 87 out of 97 seats, increased its vote share from 61.2 per cent to 65.57 per cent, won hotly contested wards and extended its margin of victory in most constituencies.
Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong chairs the Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce, which is looking into the impact of US tariffs on the country.
US President Donald Trump on Apr 2 announced sweeping tariffs on all imports, with a baseline rate of 10 per cent on countries that include Singapore. Dozens of other trading partners, including China, were slapped with higher tariffs.
While there is now a 90-day pause on most of the hefty “reciprocal tariffs”, the baseline 10 per cent duty still stands.
Mr Gan, who is also Minister for Trade and Industry, said on Apr 27 that he had spoken to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and both sides had discussed concessions on the global tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
While Mr Lutnick explained during their call on Apr 25 that the 10 per cent baseline tariff is an umbrella one which is “not likely to be subject to negotiation”, Mr Gan said the US wants to explore “creative solutions” for some critical exports from Singapore, including pharmaceuticals.
Pharmaceutical exports, which contribute over 10 per cent of the country’s exports to the US, is something that is “very important” to Singapore, Mr Gan added.
Artificial intelligence chips was another area he discussed with Mr Lutnick.
“It’s an area that we are very concerned about, and we want to make sure that our companies will continue to have access to this critical technology. It’s important for us in areas such as data centres,” Mr Gan said then.
While the US is concerned about the export controls on such chips, not just in Singapore, Mr Gan also told Mr Lutnick about Singapore’s export control system and how both countries have been working together on this front.
“We also do not condone companies taking advantage of their presence in Singapore to undermine export controls by other countries,” the deputy prime minister then said.
Related:
New task force on US tariffs to focus on engaging businesses and workers, sharing information: Gan Kim Yong
Commentary: US tariffs won’t cause Singapore inflation to rise, but may slow down growth
