Describes bilateral and multilateral trade agreements that this country is party to, including with the United States. Includes websites and other resources where U.S. companies can get more information on how to take advantage of these agreements.
Last Published: 6/13/2019

As a nation with a small domestic market that depends on imports for food, energy, and industrial raw materials, Singapore places the highest priority on the multilateral trading system embodied by the World Trade Organization (WTO). As a member of the WTO, Singapore believes that the WTO can provide a stable framework for developing sound multilateral rules that ensure that goods and services can flow freely with minimum impediment. The primary objective of Singapore’s trade policy is to guard its trading interest by ensuring a free and open international trading environment.

In tandem with its support of the WTO, Singapore advocates that trade efforts are undertaken in the regional context such as APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation), ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), as well as bilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to accelerate the momentum of trade liberalization and strengthen the multilateral trading system. It has actively pursued a few legally binding arrangements with trading partners. ASEAN is preparing a roadmap for an ASEAN Economic Community by 2020 that aims to create a single enlarged market of 600 million people.

The U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has been in effect since 2004. Singapore also has many bilateral and regional FTAs including with Australia, China, Costa Rica, India, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Panama, Peru, Sri Lanka and Turkey. Singapore is a participant in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership regional trade negotiations, which include the ten Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries plus Australia, China, Japan, Korea, India and New Zealand, and it is also a participant in the 11-member Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Singapore has also concluded an FTA with the European Union which has yet to be entered into force.  

For more information, please visit Enterprise Singapore.
 

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.