Singapore – the global hub for business, trade, finance, innovation, and the list goes on. Located where major East and West shipping lanes converge, the city-state has become the focal point of commercial activity in Asia, making it an effective springboard for regional opportunities. It has a central role in ASEAN, plays well with two of the world’s superpowers – the US and China – and continues to have good international standing. Given all these positive indicators, are there any downsides at all to doing business, investing, and living in Singapore?

In this closed-door briefing by Bower Group Asia, we will dissect Singapore’s current economic landscape and the impacts of recent political and social developments. The recent measure to tighten its foreign worker policy have implied that Singapore no longer wants to be the hub for everything, but is recalibrating its approach to be more targeted and specialised. The government has emphasised that this is not an inward-looking move and Singapore continues to remain open, but there are concerns the policy is protectionism in disguise. All eyes are also on the ruling People’s Action Party as its fourth-generation leadership begins to chart out the country’s future roadmap, after overcoming months of uncertainty over succession. Further, the briefing session will look at Singapore’s foreign policy, and how it will continue to navigate geopolitical rivalries.

• Singapore’s outlook on business and global trade
• “4G Leadership” – what’s next for the new generation of Singapore’s leaders?
• Relationship between the US and China – on the one hand, will join US-led Indo Pacific Economic Framework, and on the other is ranked among the top countries influenced by China – and how this will impact trade and doing business in Singapore