Global trade

Singapore watching developments, could introduce support measures as Trump’s 15% tariff threat raises uncertainty: DPM Gan

Opportunities for Singapore to do business with US still exist even if tariffs are applied

Trump has said the de minimis exemption enabled deadly synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, and their ingredients to flow into the US.

Trump doubles down on closing tax loophole for cheap imports

The exemption was shut down in 2025, in part, on the same legal grounds as the tariffs that the Supreme Court has invalidated

US President Donald Trump says his tariffs "broke every record in the book".
NEWS ANALYSIS

Trump’s trade gamble will continue despite US Supreme Court rebuke

The president has said he will raise the latest global tariffs to 15%

Trump is applying the new baseline tariff under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act.

Trump says he will increase global tariffs to 15% from 10%

The move comes as the US president seeks to preserve his trade agenda

Shipping accounts for about 3% of global emissions, similar to all the aircraft in the sky.
THE BOTTOM LINE

The ships moving global trade are going electric

With each passing year, batteries get cheaper, lighter and more powerful

Singapore's strengths are in its role as a trusted hub for finance, digital trade and resilience, among others.

Budget 2026: Scaling Singapore businesses’ global footprint amid rising risks

Navigating a more fractured trade environment requires a closer partnership between policy, capital and corporate enterprise

“We actively take on the world as it is, not wait for a world we wish to be,” said Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. The logic of flexible multilateralism is straightforward: start with like-minded partners to build open and inclusive initiatives on issues where there is alignment.
NEW GLOBAL ORDER

Shaping flexible multilateralism for a world in flux

An incremental approach towards cooperation is a critical strategic tool for nations

The standard shipping container, a steel box 12.2 m by 2.4 m in size, was invented by Malcolm McLean, who turbocharged its global adoption by letting its design be distributed patent-free.
PERSPECTIVE

Tariffs aren’t the biggest drag on global trade. Standards are

Product-safety and environmental rules have multiplied like an invasive species

China's massive surplus in manufactured goods, now exceeds 12 per cent of the country’s own huge economy.

In 2026, trade drama will shift from Washington to Beijing

The real uncertainty lies in the rising resistance to China’s manufactured surplus

Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaking at the Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute’s Regional Outlook Forum in Singapore on Jan 8.

Full impact of Trump tariffs will take some time to play out: SM Lee

The US’ ‘opting out’ of the multilateral trading system it anchors will hurt world economy, he says