Singapore into new phase in economic diplomacy

AS anti-trade populism continues to rise in Western developed economies such as the United States and the European Union and negotiations on major free trade agreement (FTAs) such as the Trans Pacific Partnership remain at a stalemate, globalisation has become an increasingly unpopular prospect.

Indeed, the rise of Donald Trump as Republican nominee for the US presidential elections and the UK's shock "Brexit" from the EU suggests a worrying trend of protectionism and what some commentators call "deglobalisation".

As a small open economy tha…