Singapore outlines trade plans at Future of Trade Forum
Singapore's trade relations minister set out plans to diversify trade pacts, adopt digital tools and build workforce skills at the Future of Trade Forum.
The story in focus
Singapore's Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations Grace Fu said on 30 September 2026 that the city-state will deepen and diversify trade partnerships, adopt technology to ease trade and build workforce capabilities, as it prepares to chair ASEAN in 2027.
- Singapore is negotiating an FTA with Bangladesh and exploring one with the East African Community
- It will chair ASEAN in 2027, the bloc's 60th anniversary year
- SBF's Trade AI Advisor platform helps firms navigate Singapore's 29 FTAs
Partnerships and regional plans
Speaking at the Future of Trade Forum in Singapore, Grace Fu described a trading environment in which trade, security and climate change are increasingly entangled, and said fragmentation is challenging the basic rules of global commerce. She framed these shifts as openings for businesses to diversify markets and strengthen supply chains.
On partnerships, she said free trade agreements with the Pacific Alliance and MERCOSUR are opening opportunities in Latin America, and that Singapore is negotiating an FTA with Bangladesh and exploring one with the East African Community. She also cited supply-chain arrangements with New Zealand and Australia, and work through the WTO, CPTPP, RCEP and the Future of Investment and Trade Partnership.
Singapore takes on the ASEAN chairmanship in 2027, coinciding with ASEAN's 60th anniversary, and aims to advance a regional agenda that deepens integration and expands external partnerships.
Technology and workforce
Fu pointed to the Singapore Business Federation's Trade AI Advisor platform, supported by EnterpriseSG, which provides real-time guidance on Singapore's 29 FTAs. She also announced BizSG, a whole-of-government initiative whose first offering, a portal, went live the same day.
She said paperless trade requires common rules and interoperable systems with trade partners, citing the Digital Economy Agreements and the recently concluded ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement.
On skills, she cited the SBF's upcoming Trade and Investment Competency Framework, supported by EnterpriseSG, as a structured path for professionals to build and certify trade capabilities.
What is Singapore's trade strategy under Grace Fu?
Singapore will deepen and diversify trade partnerships, including an FTA with Bangladesh and exploration of one with the East African Community, use technology to ease trade, and build workforce capabilities ahead of its 2027 ASEAN chairmanship.
Sources & further reading
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