Remarks by Under Secretary Lago - June 7
June 7, 2023
Singapore
As Prepared for Delivery
I’m honored to be here with Ambassador Kaplan and IMDA Assistant CEO Ang—thank you for all that you do to further strengthen the U.S.-Singapore relationship.
It’s a privilege to welcome this impressive array of over 50 U.S. tech companies to this year’s ATX Singapore.
Your companies represent the very best of the U.S. private sector, and your presence here is a testament to our nation’s unmatched innovation economy and all that it has to offer the world, especially in this vital region.
The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to deepening our engagement in the Indo-Pacific, home to some of world’s most dynamic economies. The key driving force behind this effort is the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), which is the cornerstone of the Administration’s economic strategy in the region.
One significant focus of IPEF is strengthening ties on issues affecting the economy and emerging technologies. Here, we’re driven to harness the opportunities that the digital transformation presents, so as to ensure shared economic prosperity and competitiveness.
Together with partners across the region, we’re: 1) promoting and supporting trusted and secure cross-border data flows; 2) we’re fostering inclusive sustainable growth of the digital economy; and 3) we’re ensuring responsible development and the use of emerging technologies.
Our embrace of the digital economy in the Indo-Pacific is also reflected in our bilateral engagement with Singapore, a global leader on so many different digital and emerging technology issues.
Through the U.S.-Singapore Partnership for Growth and Innovation or PGI, we’re cooperating on critical issues such as cross-border data flows, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. We’re also advancing progress on a digital transformation that reaches broadly and equitably throughout our nations.
I’m encouraged by the progress that we’re seeing across sectors including: 1) advanced manufacturing; 2) supply chain resilience; 3) clean energy and environmental technology; 4) digital economy; 5) smart cities; and 6) healthcare.
This especially includes prioritizing digital inclusion and women’s empowerment, building on Secretary Raimondo and Communications Minister Teo’s announcement last year of a new partnership program to empower women in tech.
And under this partnership we’ve already held successful Women in Tech programming at Trade Winds, the U.S. Government’s largest trade mission and business development forum, and our SelectUSA Investment Summit, which facilitates foreign direct investment into the United States.
Still, we know that government to government engagement is only one avenue for progress. We cannot reach our full potential without robust private sector participation, including through your presence here at ATX Singapore.
We so value your: 1) input; 2) guidance and, crucially, 3) your day-to-day work on the front lines of commerce—here in Singapore and throughout the region.
Our U.S. Department of Commerce team —in Singapore and in Washington alike—stands ready to support your ambitions across global markets. Thank you, and good luck.