The Memorandum of Understanding implementing the PGI was signed by Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in October 2021. The PGI is a bilateral economic cooperation platform designed to secure inclusive growth for our economies and regions by strengthening U.S.-Singapore collaborations in new and forward-looking areas.
Under the PGI, both sides are exploring and advancing cooperation in four pillars: (a) digital economy and smart cities; (b) energy and environmental technologies; (c) advanced manufacturing and supply chain resilience; and (d) healthcare. In each of these areas, the United States and Singapore are identifying ways to collaborate on common technical standards and build more trustworthy and interoperable systems.
For instance, PGI programming is being planned to support regional development of digital trade standards; expand participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Cross Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) System to facilitate global interoperability between different data privacy regimes; and support the growing need for U.S. and Singapore companies to operationalize trustworthy and responsible uses of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications. Under the clean energy and environmental technology pillar, the United States and Singapore are co-organizing business networking events to facilitate public-private collaboration across the region and increase the adoption, deployment, and trade of clean energy solutions and environmental technologies and services.
On the margins of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s visit to the United States, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) have announced three new areas of cooperation under the PGI.
1. Alignment of AI frameworks and toolkits
DOC and IMDA will collaborate on efforts to develop interoperable artificial intelligence governance frameworks and support industry’s adoption of ethical AI. DOC and IMDA will co-organise mapping exercises, workshops, and other events with U.S. and Singapore companies’ participation.
2. U.S. advanced manufacturing trade mission to Singapore and other markets in the region
MTI, Enterprise Singapore, and the Singapore Economic Development Board welcome DOC’s plans for a senior government official-led Advanced Manufacturing Business Development Mission to Singapore and other countries in the region, including Indonesia and Japan. The U.S. trade mission aims to promote standards that will improve manufacturing resiliency and facilitate new opportunities for collaboration among the Singapore and U.S. private sectors.
3. Southeast Asia regional collaboration on cybersecurity
DOC and MCI plan to collaborate on cybersecurity best practices, including on regional capacity building programmes on smart cities through the ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence.
Secretary Raimondo, Minister Gan and Minister Teo commended the continued progress made under the PGI.
Secretary Raimondo: “Since its signing in October and my trip to Singapore in November 2021, the PGI has provided a platform for consistent economic engagement with Singapore on topics such as healthcare, digital and advanced manufacturing standards, and clean energy. This work demonstrates the Commerce Department’s continued commitment to foster collaboration among U.S. and Singapore companies on emerging topics and issues that will not only allow us to build back from the pandemic, but also help ensure that economic growth in the future is both robust and inclusive.”
Minister Gan: “The PGI serves as a springboard to deepen economic collaboration between the U.S. and Southeast Asia. Through this initiative, we are bringing together our private sectors to strengthen trade and investment collaboration, starting with four pillars that pose profound challenges and offer tremendous opportunities to our societies and economies. We will welcome businesses and governments from the broader Southeast Asia region to participate in PGI activities, so that we can emerge stronger together. We look forward to pursuing more collaborations under the PGI in the coming years.”
Minister Teo: “The digital pillar of the PGI reflects how the bilateral relations between our countries are advancing in emerging areas of cooperation. This will enable inclusive participation by our companies and people in the growing digital economies in our countries and regionally. One practical example of our digital cooperation is on aligning our respective AI governance frameworks. Companies can expect to deploy AI across borders with greater ease, to seize innovation opportunities while managing the risks. We look forward to tangible outcomes from our ongoing digital and cyber workstreams.”