Singapore and the United States: Innovators, Partners, Friends
Singapore is a longstanding, reliable and steadfast strategic partner of the United States (U.S.), with substantive cooperation across multiple fronts. We are one of the U.S.’ closest partners in Asia. Our partnership is underpinned by mutually-beneficial cooperation in the economic, defense, security and people-to-people spheres, which in recent years, have expanded to new frontier areas such as in cybersecurity, climate change, space, critical and emerging technologies.
Economic
- Singapore and the U.S. share a robust economic relationship underpinned by the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (USSFTA). In effect since 2004, it is the first bilateral trade agreement that the U.S. signed with a country in Asia. We have over 5,800 U.S. companies based in Singapore. Our bilateral trade and Singapore’s investments in the US in more than 30 states have supported over a quarter million jobs for Americans. The USSFTA continues to provide benefits to both sides and is a model for how modern trade practices improve business competitiveness and enhance mutual prosperity.
- Singapore and the U.S. have also launched the Partnership for Growth and Innovation in 2021, which aims to increase collaboration between Singapore and U.S. companies by strengthening trade and investment collaboration in new and forward -looking areas, starting with (i) digital economy and smart cities; (ii) advanced manufacturing and supply chains; (iii) clean energy and environmental technologies; and (iv) healthcare.
Defense
- The close and longstanding defense ties are a cornerstone of the Singapore-U.S. bilateral relationship. Under our 2005 Strategic Framework Agreement, the U.S. recognized Singapore as a Major Security Cooperation Partner. Singapore and the U.S. signed a joint Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement in 2015 to identify areas of cooperation in bio-security, cyber defense, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and strategic communications. The Singapore Armed Forces’ three training detachments in Idaho, Arizona and Texas make up the second largest permanent foreign military contingent in the U.S. Our military personnel take part in training exercises with their US counterparts annually, underscoring the high interoperability between both militaries.
People-to-People Exchanges
- Singapore and the U.S. have strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between its peoples. To celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations, our two countries announced the U.S.-Singapore Summer Exchange Scholarship Programme in 2016. This funds summer exchange programs for 50 Singaporean and 50 U.S. students over the course of five years. It encourages the fostering of linkages and new ideas of cooperation between the next generation of young leaders.
- Singapore and the U.S. have mutually extended trusted traveller programs to enhance safety and efficiency of travel between both countries. Singapore citizens can apply for the U.S.' Global Entry program. U.S. citizens are able to apply for Singapore's Enhanced Immigration Automated Clearance System.
- In 2021, Singapore and the U.S. renewed the "Third Country Training Program" (TCTP), a program which jointly offers technical assistance and capacity building to other countries, particularly in ASEAN. In 2023, Singapore and the U.S. agreed to expand the scope of the TCTP to include members of the Pacific Islands Forum. The TCTP has hosted more than 1,000 officials in 40 courses since its establishment in 2012.
New Frontier Areas of Cooperation
- Climate. The US-Singapore Climate Partnership was first launched in 2021 to advance and strengthen both countries’ collaboration on climate action, environmental governance and standards, sustainable development R&D, and low- and zero-emission solutions. The Partnership was further updated in 2023 to intensify efforts in five focal areas: regional energy transition; low- and zero-emission technologies and solutions; nature-based solutions and carbon markets; urban decarbonisation and resilience; and capacity building.
- Cybersecurity. Singapore and the U.S. conducted the inaugural United States-Singapore Cyber Dialogue in 2022 to bring together officials from cyber policy, operational and technical elements of government agencies in both countries to discuss practical cooperation on a regular basis, and institutionalise the trusted cyber partnership between Singapore and the U.S.
- Critical and Emerging Technologies. Singapore and the U.S. launched the inaugural U.S.-Singapore Dialogue on Critical and Emerging Technology in 2023, to foster collaboration across domains such as AI, digital economy, and data governance, biotechnology, critical infrastructure and technology supply chains, defense innovation, quantum information science and technology,.
- Space. Following Singapore’s signing of the Artemis Accords in 2022, Singapore and the U.S. convened the first bilateral Space Dialogue in 2023 in Washington, D.C., designed to strengthen our bilateral exchanges and entrench cooperation in civil space matters.
