On June 8, 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) issued a joint press release with the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) on their second U.S.-Singapore Partnership for Growth and Innovation (PGI) annual dialogue, following its first inaugural dialogue in October 2022.

What is the PGI?

The PGI is an economic cooperation platform aimed at securing inclusive economic and regional growth by strengthening bilateral collaboration between the US and Singapore, centred around four pillars, namely:

• advanced manufacturing and supply chain resilience;
• clean energy and environmental technologies;
• digital economy and smart cities; and
• healthcare.

What is the main data protection focus?

In terms of data protection, privacy, and data transfers, the DOC and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) have cooperated in establishing and broadening the Global Cross Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) Forum, which allows for trusted data flows, assists businesses in expanding into global markets, and fosters digital trade through interoperable frameworks.

How are AI challenges addressed?

Separately, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) and IMDA started a joint mapping exercise between US and Singapore artificial intelligence (AI) frameworks to advance responsible AI.

You can read the press release here.