Statement on the 8th UK-Singapore Economic & Business Partnership
The 8th UK-Singapore Economic and Business Partnership Steering Committee was held in Singapore to deepen our business and trade relationship
Dr Beh Swan Gin, Permanent Secretary of Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) with Gareth Davies CB, Permanent Secretary of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT)
On 25th September 2025, Gareth Davies CB, Permanent Secretary of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), joined the 8th UK-Singapore Economic and Business Partnership (EBP) Steering Committee, hosted by Dr Beh Swan Gin, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) in Singapore.
Co-chaired by the Permanent Secretaries in-person, the EBP is a key platform to bolster our economic relationship, covering areas of mutual interest in trade policy, economic resilience, and investment. Singapore is a significant investor in the UK and is the country’s 20th largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching £23.4 billion in the last year.
In a period of global uncertainty for governments and exporters, discussions at the Steering Committee centred on mutual affirmation of the rules-based international system and support for multilateral organisations like the World Trade Organisation, as well as plurilateral agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The UK and Singapore also agreed to continue cooperation in relation to Industrial Strategy, digital trade, and the green economy – building on 60 years of diplomatic relations commemorated this year.
The Permanent Secretaries also hosted a business event with representatives from UK and Singapore businesses and investors. The session outlined opportunities for attendees in the UK’s new Industrial Strategy and Singapore’s National AI Strategy.