AUSTIN \u2013 The United States is calling in a favour from friends like Singapore as President Donald Trump tries to rebalance the American economy and restore \u201cfairness\u201d to the international trading system.<\/p>\n
Mr Trump\u2019s ambassador to Singapore, Dr Anjani Kumar Sinha, offered that explanation when asked how the US President\u2019s 10 per cent baseline tariff on the Republic \u2013 in spite of a free trade agreement since 2004 \u2013 aligns with the broader goals of the US-Singapore relationship.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver many decades, American taxpayers and service members have underwritten regional security, playing an important role in making Singapore\u2019s economic miracle possible,\u201d Dr Sinha said in an e-mail interview with The Straits Times.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, we are asking our friends to help us rebalance the economy. That\u2019s the framework, and I am confident the US-Singapore business and economic relationship will continue to grow,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
The levies are part of Mr Trump\u2019s aggressive \u201creciprocal\u201d tariffs imposed on 90-odd nations, with rates as high as 50 per cent on some partners. They are intended to help reduce the US trade deficit, which stood at more than US$1 trillion (S$1.29 trillion) in 2024, revive manufacturing in the American hinterland, secure better market access for US goods and strengthen US supply chains.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s trade agenda is focused on restoring balance and fairness to the international trading system and protecting US national security,\u201d Dr Sinha said.<\/p>\n
Singapore, however, is among the countries with whom the US enjoys a trade surplus that partly helps offset large deficits it has with partners like China, Mexico, Canada and the European Union.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The US goods trade surplus with Singapore was US$1.9 billion, while the services trade surplus was US$25.1 billion in 2024, as per the US Trade Representative\u2019s office.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The higher US tariffs are dampening global economic prospects, including Singapore\u2019s gross domestic product growth, which is expected to <\/p>\n ease into a range of 1 per cent to 3 per cent<\/p>\n <\/a> in 2026 after expanding at around 4 per cent in 2025 and 4.4 per cent in 2024. <\/p>\n Singapore\u2019s key exports, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, remain vulnerable to sectoral tariffs.\u00a0Mr Trump has imposed 100 per cent tariffs on branded drugs, but these are on hold to allow the administration to negotiate deals with companies. Sectoral tariffs for semiconductors are yet to be announced.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr Sinha, who has named technology, energy and security as some of his priority areas,\u00a0expressed confidence that the business and economic relationship with Singapore would continue to grow.<\/p>\n \u201cWe continue to work with Singapore to find ways to strengthen cooperation on trade and investment, and to promote economic growth in both of our countries, and I continue to work with American companies to advocate for US exports,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n An orthopaedic surgeon who set up successful clinics in New York, Dr Sinha became the first Asian-American and the first medical doctor to be tapped by a US president as Singapore ambassador. Born and educated in India, he immigrated to the US in 1977. His wife, Dr Kiki Sinha, is a retired anaesthesiologist.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel very much at home,\u201d he said, of his posting. \u201cThe region is familiar to me, including the warm way I\u2019ve been welcomed by the Singaporeans I\u2019ve met so far, and I understand the mix of cultures and histories here.\u201d<\/p>\n On whether he sees scope for collaboration that helps boost Singapore\u2019s status as a medical hub, he said he had met the leadership of different hospitals to explore possibilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSingapore offers first-rate medical care with some of the latest American technologies, so I want to make sure American companies and workers can continue to export our medical devices and pharmaceuticals to Singapore. I also want to make sure the US remains the partner-of-choice for graduate medical education and medical research for Singapore\u2019s physicians,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Asked if he has spoken to US pharmaceutical companies based in Singapore on the matter of tariff exemptions on their products exported from Singapore to the US, he declined comment. ST understands that there are no updates on the ongoing discussion.<\/p>\n Another promising avenue for cooperation is energy. Nuclear power is a key pillar in Mr Trump\u2019s energy \u201cdominance\u201d agenda, while Singapore is keen to build its suite of low-carbon energy strategies.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2024, the US and Singapore signed a 30-year agreement that will allow the Republic to better access the latest nuclear technologies and scientific research from American organisations to further its low-carbon energy strategy.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that Singapore is still evaluating these options, but I\u2019m excited about the many potential energy opportunities that, I believe, will benefit both Singapore and the US,\u201d Dr Sinha said.<\/p>\n Asked what was US President Trump\u2019s message to him as he took up this assignment, Dr Anjani Sinha said he has been tasked to drum up economic ties.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Dr Sinha is also the first ambassador that Mr Trump has appointed to Singapore. During Mr Trump\u2019s first term, the ambassador\u2019s post remained vacant and the US Embassy in Singapore was led by a charge d\u2019affaires. <\/p>\n As a political appointee, Dr Sinha can be expected to have Mr Trump\u2019s ear. He reportedly plays golf with Mr Trump and is his son Donald Jr\u2019s orthopaedic surgeon. While declining to confirm these links, Dr Sinha said he had known Mr Trump for more than 15 years and called him a \u201cwonderful friend\u201d.<\/p>\n Asked what was Mr Trump\u2019s message to him as he took up this assignment, he said he had been tasked to drum up economic ties.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore I left for Singapore, he told me two things: represent our country well, and increase our economic and commercial ties. I took that to heart and will be focused on deepening our US-Singapore economic relationship, which is already so strong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n While facing questions from the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations during his confirmation hearing, Dr Sinha came in for some criticism over his <\/p>\n lack of diplomatic experience and his understanding of the region<\/p>\n <\/a> and Singapore\u2019s strategic role. <\/p>\n Dr Sinha, who is in his 70s, said he had taken it in his stride. \u201cMy friends and I have smiled over that moment often over the past few months,\u201d he said, adding that he is a lifelong learner and has a team of experts by his side at the US embassy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/picture><\/div>