Speeches

American Chamber of Commerce Presentation
by Ambassador Patricia L. Herbold
December 13, 2005

Thank you to the AmCham for organizing this wonderful event and to Nick de Boursac and his staff for the great job they do.  Bob and I are grateful for the opportunity to meet so many of the AmCham members here tonight and we want to thank all of you for being here this evening. 
 
As part of my preparation for coming here, I spoke to several former ambassadors to Singapore and attended briefings in DC, and was told by many that I spoke with that AmCham Singapore is one of the best AmbChams in the world.  Your activities are legendary.  From your networking sessions to your corporate community outreach, you are advancing the interests of American business and burnishing the reputation of American companies and their employees throughout the region.
 
There is a tradition of close consultation and warm relations between AmCham and the U.S. Embassy and one of my goals will be to continue that tradition.  I look forward to participating in ongoing activities such as the quarterly briefings, regular meetings with the AmCham Board, and Corporate Community Day.
 
I’m confident that we can continue to work together to further improve the conditions for U.S. businesses operating here in Singapore.  The second annual review of the Free Trade Agreement is right around the corner.  I encourage all of you to keep in touch with our economic and commercial officers, not only to identify any issues with implementation of the agreement, but also to introduce new areas where the United States and Singapore can look for ways to make doing business here easier.
 
Our strong ties will help us respond to new situations.  Although no one wants an influenza pandemic to materialize, bird flu is one obvious area where AmCham and the Embassy working together will benefit the entire American community.  Our regional security officers and our consular officers will continue to work with AmCham as well as sister groups, such as the Overseas Security Advisory Council, to exercise rumor control, identify sources of and disseminate accurate information, and help one another prepare for whatever lies ahead.
 
To make sure that personnel turnover doesn’t cause us to lose touch, members of all the sections and agencies at the Embassy are here tonight so that you can meet them.  I hope everybody will have the chance to meet several of us tonight. 

Again, thank you for coming this evening and thank you to AmCham for organizing this festive welcome for Bob and me.