World

Singapore’s top trade official offers to “mediate dialogue” between U.S. and China

Singapore’s top trade official said that they would be open to mediating a dialogue between the US and China in an attempt to fix their fractured relationship.  The official said that the tensions between the two nations have negative consequences for the rest of the world.

US-China tensions “have serious consequences for the rest of the world,” Gan Kim Yong, Singapore minister for trade and industry said during an interview with Bloomberg Television’s Haslinda Amin in an interview Thursday. “Singapore as you know has always wanted to do business with both.”

Singapore’s economy relies heavily on trade, with China being the country they do most business with.  The city-state find themselves vulnerable to disruptions in trade.

“All of us are concerned and watching this development very closely,” Gan said, referring to the export controls. “Singapore’s interests and interests of the rest of the world are for the US and China to have a stable relationship as well as a constructive one,” he added.

Governments of countries in Southeast Asia have been working on building their trade relationship with the United States following discussions on the White House’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. 

Singapore’s GPD is expected to grow between 0.5%-2.5% this year.  China’s loosening of COVID policies is expected to give their growth a shot in the arm.

“We depend on the growth of the world to fuel Singapore’s growth,” Gan said, noting that forecasts will be adjusted depending on the evolving global environment.

Gan said that following hawkish comments made by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell that “the jury it still out” on whether the United States will have a hard or soft landing from their ongoing disputes with China.

ARTICLE: PAUL MURDOCH

MANAGING EDITOR: LUKE MOCHERMAN

PHOTO CREDIT: DEPARTMENT OF STATE

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Paul, 37, is from Scotland in the UK, but currently lives and works in Bangkok. Paul has worked in different industries such as telemarketing, retail, hospitality, farming, insurance, and teaching, where he works now. He teaches at an all-girls High School in Bangkok. “It’s a lot of work, but I love my job.” Paul has an active interest in politics. His reason for writing for FBA is to offer people the facts and allow them to make up their own minds. Whilst he believes opinion columns have their place, it is also important that people can have accurate news with no bias.

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