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Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Americas

United States

Singapore's diplomatic relationships and recent highlights with The United States Of America.

Overview

Singapore enjoys strong and longstanding defence, economic and political relations with the US. We celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2016.

The defence relationship is underpinned by several milestone bilateral agreements, including the 1990 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the United States Use of Facilities in Singapore, the Strategic Framework Agreement (signed in July 2005) and the enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (signed in December 2015). Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and US President Donald Trump signed the Protocol of Amendment to the 1990 MOU in September 2019, further extending it for another 15 years. On the economic front, the US is Singapore’s largest foreign direct investor by country. The US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement that came into force in 2004 was the first FTA between the US and an Asian country.

Bilateral cooperation spans many mutually beneficial areas such as cyber-security, counter-terrorism, education, infrastructure, counter-proliferation and a Third Country Training Programme to jointly help developing countries.

Recent highlights

2020

  • Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan spoke with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the phone on 26 March 2020 and 4 August 2020.

  • Minister (Trade and Industry) Chan Chun Sing spoke with US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross on the phone on 8 April 2020.

  • Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen and US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper held a bilateral video conference on 31 August 2020.

2019

  • Senior Minister of State (Defence) (Foreign Affairs) Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman visited Washington DC from 5 to 7 February 2019, and attended the Meeting of the Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS hosted by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on 6 February 2019. SMS Maliki also had bilateral meetings with key US Administration Officials, Members of Congress and strategic thinkers.

  • Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing made an introductory visit to Washington D.C. from 19 to 21 March 2019. During his visit, Minister Chan met Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, and spoke at a lunch dialogue organised by the US-ASEAN Business Council. A Memorandum of Understanding between Singapore and the US to deepen cooperation on infrastructure development was also signed on the sidelines of Minister Chan’s visit.

  • Then-Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam made a working visit to Washington D.C. from 8 to 13 April 2019 in conjunction with the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting and the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group, and visited New York from 13 to 15 April 2019 for the 2019 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development.

  • A bipartisan US Congressional delegation led by Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz visited Singapore from 22 to 25 April 2019. During their visit, the delegation called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. They also met Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen and Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin.

  • Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan made a working visit to Washington DC from 14 to 17 May 2019. During the visit, Minister Balakrishnan met Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, then-National Security Advisor John Bolton, key Members of Congress and a range of prominent US personalities.

  • Then-Acting US Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan as well as two US Congressional delegations led by Senate Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee member Senator Angus King, and Senate Committee on Foreign Relations member Cory Gardner visited Singapore for the 2019 Shangri-La Dialogue between 31 May and 2 June 2019. Acting Secretary Shanahan called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and met Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How. Both Congressional delegations also met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen and Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.

  • A bipartisan and bicameral US Congressional delegation led by Chair of the Senate Rules Committee Senator Roy Blunt visited Singapore from 6 to 8 August 2019. During their visit, the delegation called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and met Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing and Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.

  • Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made a working visit to New York from 21 to 27 September as head of Singapore’s delegation to the 74th UNGA and attended a series of UN meetings, including the Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit. Prime Minister Lee also met US President Donald Trump during the visit. Prime Minister Lee and President Trump signed the Protocol of Amendment to the 1990 Memorandum of Understanding Regarding United States Use of Facilities in Singapore, which allows continued US military access to Singapore’s air and naval bases. He was accompanied on the trip by Mrs Lee, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

  • A bipartisan US Congressional delegation led by Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Congressman Ami Bera visited Singapore from 29 to 30 September 2019. During their visit, the delegation met Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and US businesses in Singapore.

  • US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross visited Singapore from 5 to 8 October 2019. During his visit, Secretary Ross called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and met Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing.

  • Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and Education Indranee Rajah made a working visit to Washington DC from 15 to 19 October 2019 as Singapore’s representative for G20 Finance Ministers’ and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting, and annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group. Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam also attended the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group meetings. Minister Indranee and Deputy US Treasury Secretary Justin Muzinich signed a Framework to Strengthen Infrastructure Finance and Market Building Cooperation on the sidelines of the meetings.

  • Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen attended the 7th Reagan National Defense Forum in California from 6 to 8 December 2019. On the sidelines of the forum, Minister Ng and US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a RSAF Fighter Training Detachment at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.

2018

  • Mr Jake Sullivan, Brady-Johnson Distinguished Practitioner in Grand Strategy at Yale University, visited Singapore from 15 to 17 January 2018 under the S. R. Nathan Fellowship. During his visit, Mr Sullivan had meetings with then-Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, and then-Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Secretary-General of the National Trade Union Congress Chan Chun Sing. He was also hosted to separate meals by Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law K Shanmugam, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.

  • A bipartisan US Congressional delegation led by then-Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Congressman Bob Goodlatte visited Singapore from 20 to 21 Febuary 2018. During their visit, the delegation called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and met with then-Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade) Lim Hng Kiang.

  • Then-US Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Senators Dan Sullivan, Cory Gardner and David Perdue, and a bipartisan Congressional delegation led by Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Congressman Mac Thornberry – attended the 2018 Shangri-La Dialogue in June. Among others, Secretary Mattis called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and was hosted to breakfast by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen. The Members of Congress called on Prime Minister Lee, were hosted to lunch by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, and also met with Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How. Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan made a working visit to Washington DC on 5 June 2018.  During the visit, Minister Balakrishnan was hosted to a luncheon by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the State Department and met National Security Advisor John Bolton at the White House.  

  • Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan made a working visit to Washington DC on 5 June 2018. During the visit, Minister Balakrishnan was hosted to a luncheon by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the State Department and met then-National Security Advisor John Bolton at the White House.

  • US President Donald Trump visited Singapore from 10 to 13 June 2018, to attend the US-DPRK Summit on 12 June 2018. During his visit, President Trump had a four-eye meeting with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and was hosted to a working luncheon by Prime Minister Lee.

  • A bipartisan US Congressional delegation led by then-Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen called on Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan on 3 July 2018.

  • US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made his introductory visit to Singapore from 3 to 4 August 2018, in conjunction with his participation in the 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings. During his visit, Secretary Pompeo called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and met Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan. Minister Balakrishnan and Secretary Pompeo also signed a Memorandum of Understanding renewing the Singapore-US Third Country Training Programme, which provides technical assistance and capacity building to ASEAN Member States and Timor-Leste.

  • Then-US Secretary of Defense James Mattis attended the 5th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Singapore in October 2018. During his visit, Secretary Mattis met with Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen.

  • US Vice President Mike Pence made an Official Visit to Singapore from 13 to 16 November 2018, and participated in the 6th ASEAN-US Summit and 13th East Asia Summit. During his visit, Vice President Pence and Mrs Karen Pence received an Official Welcome Ceremony at the Istana, and attended a ceremony where a new orchid hybrid, the Papilionanda Mike and Karen Pence, was named in their honour. Vice President Pence had a private meeting with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and was hosted to breakfast by Prime Minister Lee, which included other Singapore Ministers and senior members of the US delegation. Prime Minister Lee and Vice President Pence also held a joint press conference, where they welcomed the (a) renewal of the US-Singapore Collaboration Platform Memorandum of Understanding between the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry and the US Department of Commerce; (b) conclusion of a Tax Information Exchange Agreement and reciprocal Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act Inter-Governmental Agreement; and (c) signing of a declaration of intent between the Singapore Cyber Security Agency and the US Department of State to cooperate on a a Singapore-US Cybersecurity Technical Assistance Programme.

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