Singapore

RIDING on the wave of recently-inked regional trade agreements, Singapore is now looking towards realising a 16-party free-trade agreement (FTA) as the next step to creating a pact encompassing the entire Asia-Pacific region, said Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat on Thursday.

And even as Singapore continues to push for a region-wide FTA, he suggested that think tanks in Singapore help enhance the country's knowledge economy and turn it into a "trusted home base" for companies looking to benefit from deeper regional integration.