Reframing ‘Brand Singapore’ for an ‘America First’ era needs business support

The most credible messengers are the companies and investors who profit from the Republic’s success every day

    • The USTR claims that Singapore, among 60 economies, has failed to impose prohibitions on trade in goods produced with forced labour.
    • The USTR claims that Singapore, among 60 economies, has failed to impose prohibitions on trade in goods produced with forced labour. PHOTO: YEN MENG JIIN, BT
    Published Tue, Aug 11, 2026 · 12:00 PM

    FOR decades, the US prized partners that upheld the rule of law, kept markets open and met high standards on trade and investment – making Singapore the natural choice for its first Asian free trade agreement partner.

    Singapore’s values and commitments to the US have not changed.

    For the US, that calculus has shifted as those values are not priorities of an “America First” trade agenda.