Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan's Written Replies to Parliamentary Questions, 22 September 2025

QUESTION

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs in light of the closure of the ASEAN Engagement Office by the US government, what is the Ministry's assessment of (a) the significance of this measure on the US-ASEAN relationship; (b) what can Asean do to improve the US-ASEAN relationship; and (c) what can Singapore do to improve the US-Singapore relationship.

REPLY

1 ASEAN and the US enjoy a broad, substantive and mutually beneficial relationship, built up over decades and across both Democrat and Republican Administrations. ASEAN and the US have worked hard to promote dialogue, cooperate substantively and build trust. In 2027, we will commemorate 50 years of ASEAN-US dialogue relations and will use this opportunity to further expand our cooperation.

2 According to the US State Department, its internal reorganisation does not change the longstanding partnership between ASEAN and the US. Economic activities between ASEAN and the US already support more than 625,000 American jobs. The US continues to be ASEAN's top source of foreign investment, with a total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) stock of SGD 798.8 billion in 2023. This is more than what the US has invested in China, India, Japan and South Korea combined. At a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN and the US in July 2025, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed that ASEAN continued to be the "pre-eminent mechanism" by which the US engaged the region.

3 Every change of administration presents opportunities for collaboration in new and practical areas. Earlier this year, ASEAN and the US endorsed the ASEAN-US Responsible AI Roadmap, which provides a guide for ASEAN governments to operationalise responsible AI. This helps to ensure that ASEAN as a region remains a secure and competitive destination for US firms to do business in.

4 On cyber scams, US firms like Meta are working with regulators in the region to tackle this scourge by improving verification processes and strengthening cyber defences. We can look at ways to expand such cooperation to include other private sector players and share expertise at the government-to-government level.

5 Singapore's relations with the US are also substantive, long-standing, and enjoy bipartisan support. We have been a consistent and reliable partner of the US for decades. Our cooperation spans many domains, including defence, security, economic, and people-to-people ties. This deep reservoir of trust has allowed us to expand collaboration to newer areas such as AI, biotechnology, cybersecurity, outer space, civilian nuclear technology, and quantum technology.

6 We continue to engage the Trump Administration. My Cabinet colleagues and I have had good interactions with our US counterparts. These have been reported on in the media so I will not detail them. Specifically on tariff negotiations, we are in preliminary discussions with the US to explore practical ways to facilitate our pharmaceutical and semiconductor exports to the US. DPM Gan has had several virtual engagements with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to this end.

7 We also continue to cultivate good relationships in the US Congress. I was pleased to learn that the US Congressional Singapore Caucus Co-Chairs recently took the initiative to introduce a resolution in the House of Representatives in conjunction with SG60, to express continued support for the bilateral relationship. Through our sustained engagements with the US, MFA will continue to foster greater appreciation of Singapore and our relationship with the US.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs in light of conflicts overseas that may have a polarising effect on Singaporeans (a) what is the Ministry doing to (i) equip the public with easy-to-understand information and (ii) explain the rationale behind the Government's position; and (b) how can community leaders be equipped to help provide clarity on the Government's position and address misinformation or rumours.

REPLY

1 The Government has stepped up engagement to explain our foreign policy fundamentals and approaches to Singaporeans and hear their views. We do this through dialogue sessions and workshops across segments of society, including students, youths, businesses and the media. For example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) regularly conducts Foreign Policy Engagement Sessions with all pre-tertiary institutions to explain the fundamentals of Singapore's foreign policy. Through such engagement, we also hope to equip the leaders of various segments of our society with the ability to help address questions from their respective grounds. We will continue to enhance the public's understanding of foreign policy through such engagements as well as through social media content that is more easily understood and relatable.

2 In this era of constant information and views from a wide variety of sources and commentators, it is important for Singaporeans to be discerning of what we hear or read. While it is natural for Singaporeans to have a diversity of views, it is crucial for us to stay united and not allow external conflicts or divisive rhetoric to fragment our society. This is a whole-of-society effort. MFA will continue to work with community leaders in our shared efforts to help fellow Singaporeans understand Singapore's national interests that guide our foreign policy, and be vigilant.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

22 SEPTEMBER 2025