MFA Press Statement: Official Visit of Vice President of the United States Michael R Pence, 13 to 16 November 2018

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong hosted Vice President of the United States (US) Michael R Pence to an Official Visit from 13 to 16 November 2018. Vice President Pence also participated in the 6^th ASEAN-US Summit and 13^th East Asia Summit. Vice President Pence was accompanied to Singapore by his wife, Mrs Karen Pence, as well as senior officials from the Vice President’s Office, National Security Council, and State Department.

2 Vice President Pence received an Official Welcome Ceremony at the Istana this morning, following which Vice President Pence and Mrs Karen Pence attended a ceremony where a new orchid hybrid, the Papilionanda Mike and Karen Pence, was named in their honour. Prime Minister Lee had a private meeting with Vice President Pence, before hosting a breakfast for Vice President Pence, which included Singapore Ministers and senior members of the US delegation. Prime Minister Lee and Vice President Pence concluded the morning with a joint press conference.

3 Prime Minister Lee and Vice President Pence affirmed the longstanding and multi-faceted partnership between Singapore and the US. They welcomed the broad slate of high-level bilateral interactions this year, including visits to Singapore by President Donald J Trump; Secretary of State Michael Pompeo; and Secretary of Defense James Mattis. There were also visits to the US by Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social and Economic Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam; Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan; Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen; and Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong.

4 Both sides affirmed the robust Singapore-US defence relationship, anchored on the 1990 Memorandum of Understanding(MOU); the 2005 Strategic Framework Agreement, under which the US recognised Singapore as a Major Security Cooperation Partner;and the 2015 enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, which paved the way for non-conventional security cooperation in areas such as cyber defence.

5 Prime Minister Lee and Vice President Pence also noted the excellent bilateral economic relationship. A cornerstone of the trade and investment partnership has been the US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA), a high-performing FTA that continues to increase bilateral trade and investment flows, as well as generate jobs in both countries. Bilateral trade in goods and services has almost doubled from pre-FTA levels to reach over US$74 billion in 2017. In addition, in 2016, the US was the largest foreign investor in Singapore, while Singapore was the US’ second-largest Asian investor.

6 Economic cooperation continues to advance in the areas of infrastructure and finance. Prime Minister Lee and Vice President Pence welcomed the renewal of the US-Singapore Collaboration Platform MOU between the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry and the US Department of Commerce, which has expanded the Platform’s scope to include cooperation on energy, standards, advanced manufacturing, and technology partnerships. Both sides also expressed interest in exploring avenues for further collaboration to address the region’s growing infrastructure needs. In addition, Prime Minister Lee and Vice President Pence welcomed the signing of a Tax Information Exchange Agreement, which will permit Singapore and the US to exchange relevant tax information to enforce our respective tax laws; and a reciprocal Inter-Governmental Agreement, which will provide for the automatic exchange of information with respect to financial accounts under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act.

7 Both sides recognised the importance of deepening cooperation in non-traditional security domains, and signed a declaration of intent to jointly develop a Singapore-US Cybersecurity Technical Assistance Programme. The Programme is a collaboration between Singapore’s ASEAN Cyber Capacity Programme and the US’ Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity Partnership initiative. It will aim to deliver three cybersecurity training workshops annually, with the involvement of key industry partners. These will take place in Singapore and in selected regional venues, in collaboration with interested ASEAN partners. More information on the new bilateral cooperation initiatives is at Appendix.

8 Prime Minister Lee and Vice President Pence also affirmed the growing educational linkages between Singapore and the US, which will further strengthen people-to-people ties and foster mutual understanding. These initiatives include the ongoing US-Singapore Summer Exchange Scholarship Programme.

9 Vice President Pence expressed his appreciation to Prime Minister Lee for Singapore’s hosting of the Summit meeting between President Trump and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un on 12 June 2018. Vice President Pence further congratulated Prime Minister Lee for Singapore’s successful Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2018, and expressed support for Singapore’s initiatives on smart cities and cybersecurity. PM looked forward to meeting Vice President Pence when he visits the US in 2019.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

16 NOVEMBER 2018

Appendix

INFORMATION ON NEW SINGAPORE-UNITED STATES BILATERAL COOPERATION INITIATIVES

Renewal of the US-Singapore Collaboration Platform MOU

The Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and the US Department of Commerce (DOC) signed an MOU in August 2016 to establish the US-Singapore Collaboration Platform. In line with its objectives, the Platform has fostered deeper bilateral cooperation in infrastructure; and areas such as the digital economy, financial technology (FinTech), e-commerce, and smart city solutions. Based on the MOU’s successful outcomes, MTI and the DOC renewed the MOU, which further expanded the Platform’s scope to include cooperation on energy, standards, advanced manufacturing, and technology partnerships.

More information on the MOU is available at

https://www.mti.gov.sg/Newsroom/Press-Releases/2018/11/Renewal-of-the-US-SG-Collaboration-Platform-MOU

For media queries on the MOU, please contact:

Edith Lim

Assistant Director, Corporate Communications Division

Ministry of Trade and Industry

Tel: +65 6332 7315

Email: Edith_LIM@mti.gov.sg

Tax Information Exchange Agreement and Reciprocal Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Inter-Governmental Agreement

The Tax Information Exchange Agreement enhances tax cooperation between Singapore and the US through the exchange of information for tax purposes to enforce our respective tax laws.

The reciprocal Inter-Governmental Agreement under the FATCA provides mutual assistance in tax matters through the automatic exchange of financial account information.

More information on the Agreements is available at

https://www.mof.gov.sg/policies/taxes/international-tax/press-releases-and-announcements-on-singapore-s-bilateral-tax-treaties/singapore-and-the-united-states-of-america-signed-agreements-for-exchange-of-information

For media queries on the Agreements, please contact:

Carol Zhuo

Senior Associate, Corporate Communications

Ministry of Finance

Tel: +65 6332 8153

Email: Carol_ZHUO@mof.gov.sg

Singapore-US Cybersecurity Technical Assistance Programme

The Singapore Cyber Security Agency and the US Department of State signed a declaration of intent to cooperate on a Singapore-US Cybersecurity Technical Assistance Programme. The Programme will extend the work of the annual Workshop on Cybersecurity under the Singapore-US Third Country Training Programme, which was renewed in August 2018 for a third cycle. It will aim to deliver three cybersecurity training workshops on various aspects of technical cybersecurity capacity building annually, featuring strong participation by industry partners. These training workshops will take place in Singapore and in selected regional venues, in collaboration with interested ASEAN partners.

More information on the Programme is available at

https://www.csa.gov.sg/news/press-releases/singapore-and-the-us-sign-doi-on-cybersecurity-technical-assistance-programme

For media queries on the Programme, please contact:

Chen Jingxuan

Senior Manager, Communications and Engagement Office

Cyber Security Agency of Singapore

Tel: +65 6323 5112

Email: CHEN_Jingxuan@csa.gov.sg

Julie Tai

Assistant Director, Communications and Engagement Office

Cyber Security Agency of Singapore

Tel: +65 9848 2483

Email: Julie_TAI@csa.gov.sg