S'pore and US still in early stages of negotiations on tariffs, says Vivian

More time, multiple rounds of talks needed amid revisions, legal challenges to the tariffs

- Shermaine Ang

It will be some time yet before countries can know for certain the final shape of the United States' tariff regime against virtually all its trading partners.

This is as, aside from the revisions and legal challenges to the trade barriers that have been announced, it is clear that the US is looking to conduct multiple rounds of bilateral negotiations with its trading partners, which will take time, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on June 7.

His meetings with US senators and members of Congress also showed there was bipartisan recognition among Republicans and Democrats that trade, investment, intellectual property protection, reliability and supply chain security remain vital issues to the Americans, he added.

In a Zoom call with the Singapore media to wrap up his five-day visit to Washington, Dr Balakrishnan said both sides reaffirmed the strong and stable bilateral relationship during his visit.

"The relationship with the United States is a vital, critical one for Singapore it spans the entire gamut... the economy, defence, security, and we are also pursuing emerging opportunities in areas like cyber security and energy," he said.