The American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore yesterday urged greater US
engagement with the southeast Asia region and expressed its support to regional
integration.
Dom LaVigne, executive director of the chamber, said in a statement that US
companies in Singapore were keen to see the US government maintain and increase
its engagement with the region.
He was commenting in statement on an article in yesterday's The Straits
Times, a local English daily, by Timothy D. Adams, Undersecretary for
International Affairs at the US Department ofthe Treasury, in which Adams
explained the priority given by the US Treasury Department in recent years to
engagement with southeast Asia.
Trade and investment between the United States and the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has increased over recent years, particularly
with the signing of the US Singapore Free Trade Agreement, the ASEAN-US Enhanced
Partnership and the ASEAN-US Trade and Investment Framework Agreement.
"Now, more than ever, this engagement is critical as ASEAN continues its move
toward greater regional integration," said LaVigne, adding that "US businesses
see great opportunities in the region as integration proceeds and also great
benefits for thelocal economies."
American chamber in Singapore is the largest foreign business chamber in
Singapore, with more than 2,500 members representing about 600 companies and an
estimated 50 billion Singapore dollars (about US$32.7 billion) of investments in
Singapore and the region.