U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, shakes hands with a worker during her visit to a General Electric aviation facility in Singapore Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012.
“Singapore is a close strategic partner of the United States across a range of developmental, economic, people-to-people and security issues.”
“Singapore is a close strategic partner of the United States across a range of developmental, economic, people-to-people and security issues.” The Office of the U.S. State Department’s Spokesperson recently stated that the United States is building on the strong foundation of the bilateral Free Trade Agreement with Singapore to negotiate a successful outcome for the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
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United States-Singapore Relations
Bilateral trade in 2011 exceeded $50 billion, making Singapore the United States’ 15th largest trading partner and 11th largest export market. Cumulative U.S. investment in Singapore is over $116 billion while Singapore has $22 billion of foreign direct investment in the United States. Approximately 1,500 American companies use Singapore as a regional base for Asian operations, contributing to job creation and economic development in Singapore and the United States.
The United States and Singapore also enjoy a close security relationship.
Bilateral defense cooperation has deepened since the signing of the Strategic Framework Agreement in 2005, and both militaries interact regularly through joint exercises, operations, training and technological collaboration. Starting in 2013, Singapore will host the first of up to four United States’ Littoral Combat Ships on a rotational basis, [which] will strengthen U.S. engagement in the region, through port calls and interaction with regional navies.
The people-to-people relationships are strong with 25,000 U.S. citizens residing in Singapore and a similar number of Singaporeans in the United States. “A broad range of State Department exchange programs are building academic, professional, and cultural ties between our citizens."
The United States-Singapore Strategic Partnership Dialogue, announced in 2012, has introduced new mechanisms to further strengthen U.S.-Singapore cooperation to support regional development.
Our multifaceted cooperation includes the Third Country Training Program, a joint technical assistance program for developing countries in the region, including in the Lower Mekong area. The first projects under this program have focused on training officials in the Lower Mekong region in the areas of environment, health, urban planning, and disaster management.
The United States maintains a close relationship with Singapore bilaterally and through regional multilateral institutions such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the East Asia Summit through which we support integration, prosperity, and security for the whole Asia-Pacific region.
