Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong’s Meetings in Washington DC, USA, 11 to 13 October 2023

Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong visited Washington DC from 11 to 13 October 2023 as part of his visit to the United States.

DPM Wong had substantive meetings with US Cabinet Secretaries and senior members of the Biden Administration covering a wide range of issues from national security to economics and finance, reflecting the strong and multifaceted nature of our cooperation with the US. Over the past three days, DPM met National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard, Council of Economic Advisers Chair Jared Bernstein, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo, Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, and National Security Council Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Kurt Campbell.

In his meetings, DPM Wong spoke about the changing geostrategic landscape and reaffirmed the indispensable leadership role of the US in addressing global challenges. DPM Wong conveyed Singapore’s belief that the US is a key stakeholder in our region, and welcomed the US’ commitment to remain a reliable player in the region’s stability and prosperity. DPM Wong and his interlocutors also affirmed the strong and enduring partnership between Singapore and the US, particularly in the economic and defence spheres.

DPM Wong and his interlocutors welcomed the expansion of our partnership into new and forward-looking sectors. In particular, the launch of the inaugural US-Singapore Dialogue on Critical and Emerging Technologies on 12 October 2023 underscores our shared belief for appropriate standards and governance frameworks to ensure that critical and emerging technologies are developed and deployed in a safe and trusted manner. The convening of the inaugural US-Singapore Space Dialogue on 10 October 2023, following Singapore’s signing of the Artemis Accords in 2022, is also another milestone. Both sides also welcomed Singapore and the US expanding the scope of the Singapore-US Third Country Training Programme beyond Southeast Asia, to the Pacific Islands region, which demonstrates our shared commitment to the development priorities of our cooperation partners.

DPM Wong and his interlocutors also discussed the green energy transition. Despite being alternative energy disadvantaged, Singapore is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Singapore is exploring all possible options to decarbonise our power sector, including emerging technologies like low-carbon hydrogen, and advanced geothermal energy systems. In this context, DPM Wong expressed Singapore’s interest to cooperate with the US to explore the possible role of civilian nuclear energy in the green energy transition. This is part of Singapore’s capability-building efforts to understand the safety and reliability of newer and more advanced nuclear energy technologies. This was welcomed by Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland.

DPM Wong also spoke at a dialogue at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on 13 October 2023. 

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

15 OCTOBER 2023