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Asia Thailand Trade Missions Foreign Trade

The Road to Trade Winds ASEAN – First Stop: Singapore

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January 17, 2023

Christopher Quinlivan is a Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore.

This is the first piece in a blog series about different markets that will be featured during Trade Winds 2023.

This post contains external links. Please review our external linking policy.

U.S. businesses looking to boost their bottom line by making new export sales are increasingly looking to Singapore as a place to do business. A gateway to Southeast Asia with a business-friendly environment, Singapore offers excellent opportunities for U.S. firms, including small and medium-sized companies.  

To this end, the U.S. Commercial Service in Singapore looks forward to hosting a Trade Winds mission stop, as part of the larger Trade Winds Trade Mission and Business Forum from March 13-15, 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. Mission stops include business-to-business matchmaking meetings with pre-screened buyers, agents, distributors, or joint-venture partners.  

As the United States’ largest trading partner in Southeast Asia, Singapore has a proven track record as a welcoming center for business. More than 2,500 American companies already do business in Singapore, and many use it as a base for regional business. The United States is the leading source of foreign direct investment (FDI) for Singapore, with nearly $295 billion in FDI stock, more than five times that of China. In recent years, Singapore has become a leading investor in the United States, as well, and current Singapore FDI stock in the United States exceeds $30.2 billion.

In addition, Singapore is a U.S. Free Trade Agreement partner and is unique in its high level of development, including infrastructure, rule of law, IP protections, and ease of doing business. The World Bank’s 2020 Doing Business report ranked Singapore second overall in the world in “ease of doing business,” while the World Economic Forum ranked Singapore as the most competitive economy globally. U.S. products and services are well received in Singapore; however, the market is very competitive and highly regulated.

A small city-state roughly the physical size of New York City, Singapore’s wealthy population nears about 6 million people. English is the primary language spoken there. Exporters will find proven market opportunities for a wide range of products and services, including consumer goods, high-tech business solutions and services, machinery, electrical machinery, aircraft, optical and medical instruments, and mineral fuels.

The Singapore mission stop will be held on March 10th, and 20 participants are expected to attend. Although the business-to-business matchmaking meetings are currently at capacity, interested companies may still register for the Business Forum in Bangkok. For more information, and to sign up, go here, then click REGISTER to continue. When prompted, select Business Forum Only. The registration fee is $750 per attendee.  

Beyond Trade Winds, there are also several other trade events for U.S. companies interested in exploring the Singapore market. Please also feel free to reach out to your local Commercial Service office for further information and opportunities to explore Singapore and other markets across Southeast Asia.

Other Upcoming Trade Events in Singapore

  • April 25-28, 2023: FHA Food & Beverage offers an exemplary experience underlined by the most wide-ranging food & drink products and innovations that are top and trending across the globe. More than 70% of exhibitors are made up of direct manufacturers and as many as 15% are expected to use this platform as a launch pad for new-to-market innovations. FHA-Food & Beverage will provide global suppliers with valuable access to quality buyers including distributors, importers, manufacturers and retailers, and attendees will also gain valuable insights into developments and future trends of the food & beverage industry.
  • May 3-5, 2023: IMDEX Asia is Asia’s leading naval and maritime defense event that gathers the world’s naval elite and the finest fleets of maritime innovations. Since its inaugural edition in 1997, the maritime and defense exhibition has steered forward at the helm of the industry, becoming a platform for businesses of the sea to debut its latest vessels, systems and technologies. With established conferences and real-time discussions on maritime security, IMDEX Asia continues to draw a plethora of global leaders and distinguished guests for each edition.
  • June 6-9, 2023: Asia Tech x Singapore (ATxSG) is Asia’s flagship tech event where technology intersects with society and the digital economy. ATxSG features anchor events that include BroadcastAsia, CommunicAsia, SatelliteAsia and TechXLR8 Asia. Exhibits span a variety of technologies and sectors, including electronic media, audio, graphics & animation, artificial intelligence, augmented reality/virtual reality, and others.
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