Speeches

Remarks at the Bureau of Industry Security (BIS) Export Control Seminar

June 30, 2003

I'm pleased to welcome you to this first-ever seminar in Singapore on the U.S. export control regime. At the Embassy, we take business concerns very seriously. I devote a good deal of my time to business promotion, from trade fairs to trade negotiations to company launches. We want to do whatever we can to facilitate transactions and investment. Our goal here today is to continue to build on that positive approach to business as we discuss some of the ongoing trade control initiatives we all need to understand.

Several company participants today have come from as far away as India, China, Malaysia, the Philippines and even the United States. We're happy to have you all as participants in this event. I think you'll find it to be well worth your while, since the coming months and years will only produce an intensification of the controls designed to keep weapons and technologies out of the hands of terrorists and others with ill intent.

I'm also delighted that the Embassy is working in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade & Industry (MTI), I.E. Singapore and the Singapore Customs to co-host this seminar. We appreciate their joining in partnership with us.

And we will have speakers from the MTI and Singapore Customs, as well as from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry & Security. Thank you all very much for taking the time to speak at this event.

Singapore is the 11th largest U.S. export market, with over US$16 billion in sales here. It is also the world's largest international transshipment hub. It is an advanced economy whose businesses want and need efficient access to high-tech products from the U.S. And we want U.S. businesses to sell to Singapore. So it is critical, with both sides wanting and expecting trade to continue to grow, that well-coordinated measures are in place to prevent dual-use technologies from falling into the wrong hands.

We have all seen the huge negative impact that 9/11 had on world trade. Last October's terrorist attack in Bali did further damage to businesses here and throughout the region. We are waging a long term fight against terrorism. Because none of us wants to face a world where terrorists have access to weapons of mass destruction, the export control regulations that will be discussed today will play an important role in that war.

Firms such as those in this room, actively involved in the movement of sensitive technologies and commodities around the globe, need to be fully aware of the consequences if such equipment and technologies fall into the wrong hands. And you need to understand the key role that you play in ensuring that rogue elements are denied the opportunity to lay their hands on such sensitive goods.

In this regard, I want to take a moment to compliment the Government of Singapore for the strong stand it has taken in the fight against terrorism.

Singapore was the first port in Asia to participate in the Container Security Initiative (CSI) and to work with U.S. Customs to enhance the security of the supply chain for goods transshipping through Singapore to American ports. As one of the world leaders in adopting these strong measures, Singapore wants to ensure that its ports will continue to be seen as reliable and secure gateways for U.S. imports.

Well before its own brush with terrorism in late 2001, when a terrorist cell was exposed and its members arrested, Singapore was also planning to boost its controls on movements of munitions, chemical and biological items as well as on nuclear-related materials and gear. The Republic's new legislation, which came into effect in January of this year, makes Singapore a stronger link in the global chain of counter-terrorism and non-proliferation partners.

We want to continue to work with Singapore to improve the operations of
security systems like these, to help reinforce the security and competitiveness of this port. And, of course, we will continue to work with other ports in the region, so that they strengthen their security nets, and so that no one can be under the illusion that weak security provides competitive advantage.

An important backdrop to the work of this Seminar is the recent conclusion of the US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. It is appropriate to talk about trade expansion and trade controls in the same breath -- there is no trade-off between free trade and secure trade. We are coming to see that securing trade, through the effective implementation and enforcement of trade controls, facilitates trade and allows it to grow, even in an uncertain world.

The Free Trade Agreement is moving rapidly through the process of Congressional consideration. We fully expect that it will be approved in due course, and, will enter into force on January 1 of next year. I have no doubt that when it is fully implemented, it will greatly enhance the bilateral trade relationship between our two countries.

As our next speaker, Ms. Cindy Luar from the MTI, will discuss the FTA in some depth, I shall let her provide you the details. However, having just returned from several weeks in the United States, I can tell you that news of the FTA is generating a lot of interest in trade with Singapore and South East Asia and in Singapore's role as the trade gateway into this region.

In conclusion, I want to thank you again for taking advantage of this unique opportunity to learn about the policy behind America's export administration regulations, the measures taken to implement these regulations as well as your own role in these procedures. We are honored to work with you to ensure that, together, we prosper commercially, and that we enhance world security.

I wish you all an excellent seminar. Thank you.