From June 14 to 20, Singapore’s Foreign Minister Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan visited the United States, where he met senior officials from the Biden Administration and Members of Congress. The visit aimed to enhance US-Singapore cooperation in the economic, defense, and security spheres as well as new and emerging areas such as climate change, cybersecurity, and space exploration.
On June 16, Minister Balakrishnan and his US counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken met to reaffirm the long-standing partnership between the two countries. Both sides discussed the substantive progress made in the Indo-Pacific Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) and exchanged views on various international and regional developments. Similarly, they announced the Updated US-Singapore Climate Partnership, which emphasizes both countries’ commitment towards sustainability. Through the partnership, Singapore and the United States agreed to intensify efforts in five focal areas: regional energy transition, low- and zero-emission technologies and solutions, nature-based solutions and carbon markets, urban decarbonization and resilience, and capacity building. On the same day, Minister Balakrishnan also met with Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves to discuss US economic engagement in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region, highlighting the importance of the IPEF in promoting trade. They also tackled plans to expand the US-Singapore Partnership for Growth and Innovation (PGI) and sought opportunities for further cooperation with ASEAN on digital economy, clean energy, and supply chain resilience.
On June 20, Minister Balakrishnan and National Security Jake Sullivan explored setting up a bilateral dialogue on critical minerals and emerging technologies, in hopes to solidify new partnership beyond traditional areas. In their discussion, the two leaders also expressed their shared viewpoints on a wide range of topics such as the importance of a rules-based and secure international technology ecosystem and addressing regional cyber-security challenges. In 2022, the United States and Singapore established the US-Singapore Cyber Dialogue (USSCD), which aims to combat cyberthreats, promote resilience, and secure critical infrastructure.
