Mr Tan Wu Meng, Singapore’s Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Trade and Industry, represented Singapore in Paris where he spoke about Singapore’s 2018 ASEAN Chairmanship deliverables relating to ASEAN connectivity. He was at the OECD Southeast Asia Regional Programme (SEARP) Forum on 14th March 2019 with the theme of “Connecting Southeast Asia”. At the plenary High Level Panel, he had also highlighted the importance of upholding the rules-based multilateral trading system, and how it provides a conducive environment for SMEs to thrive in an increasingly inter-connected world.
SPS Mr Tan also met OECD Secretary General Ángel Gurría (pictured left) and discussed the OECD’s cooperation with Singapore including the Programme for International Assessment (PISA). In Paris he also met Minister of State reporting to the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne and reaffirmed the strong bilateral relations and thanked him for France’s support for the EU-Singapore FTA (EUSFTA). Mr Tan also delivered the opening speech for the DeepTech France-Singapore Workshop to highlight Singapore’s value proposition as a hub for DeepTech startups in Asia. He also, separately, met French business organisations and SMEs to highlight Singapore’s role as a gateway to the ASEAN market. He said, “As a small country, Singapore must make every effort to ensure our voice is heard, even as we grow our network of friends around the world.”
