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Viewing cable 05SINGAPORE3324, 2006 NATIONAL TRADE ESTIMATE REPORT
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| Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05SINGAPORE3324 | 2005-11-21 08:49 | 2011-08-25 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Embassy Singapore |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 SINGAPORE 003324
SIPDIS
USTR FOR GLORIA BLUE AND ELENA BRYAN
STATE FOR EB/MTA/MST
E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: ECON EINV ETRD EFIN SN
SUBJECT: 2006 NATIONAL TRADE ESTIMATE REPORT
REF: STATE 193384
¶1. Below is the draft chapter on Singapore for the 2006
National Trade Estimate Report. We assume that, as in the
past, Washington agencies will update the trade and
investment data in the first three paragraphs of the report.
Per reftel instructions, we have emailed the text of the
draft report, in MS Word format and showing changes from
last year's version, to USTR.
¶2. Begin text of the 2005 National Trade Estimate report:
TRADE SUMMARY
¶3. The U.S. trade surplus with Singapore was $4.3 billion
in 2004, an increase of $2.9 billion from $1.4 billion in
¶2003. U.S. goods exports in 2004 were $19.6 billion, up 18.4
percent from the previous year. U.S. imports from Singapore
were $15.3 billion, up 1.1 percent. Singapore is currently
the 11th largest export market for U.S. goods.
¶4. U.S. exports of private commercial services (i.e.,
excluding military and government) to Singapore were $6.9
billion in 2003 (latest data available), and U.S. imports
were $2.3 billion. Sales of services in Singapore by
majority U.S.-owned affiliates were $5.3 billion in 2002
(latest data available), while sales of services in the
United States by majority Singapore-owned firms were $1.4
billion.
¶5. The stock of U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI) in
Singapore in 2003 was $57.6 billion, up from $52.4 billion
in 2002. U.S. FDI in Singapore is concentrated largely in
the manufacturing, wholesale, and information sectors.
FREE TRADE AGREEMENT (FTA)
¶6. The United States and Singapore signed a free trade
agreement (FTA) on May 6, 2003; it entered into force on
January 1, 2004. In addition to the FTA with the United
States, Singapore has concluded bilateral FTAs with
Australia, the European Free Trade Association, Japan,
Jordan, New Zealand, South Korea, India, and Panama, and a
trilateral agreement with Chile and New Zealand. Singapore
is negotiating FTAs with Bahrain, Canada, Egypt, Mexico,
Peru, and Sri Lanka. Singapore is also part of the ASEAN-
China FTA negotiations.
IMPORT POLICIES
Tariffs
¶7. Singapore imposes no tariffs on goods imported from the
United States or elsewhere, having eliminated the last four
remaining tariff lines covering all imports of beer and
certain alcoholic beverages when the FTA came into force.
For social and/or environmental reasons, however, Singapore
levies high excise taxes, applicable to U.S. and other
exporters, on distilled spirits and wine, tobacco products,
motor vehicles (all of which are imported), and gasoline.
Singapore does not impose any restrictions or duties on
imports or exports of textiles and apparel. During the
Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations, Singapore
agreed to bind 70.5 percent of its tariff lines. Singapore
is a signatory to the WTO Information Technology Agreement
(ITA).
Import Licenses
¶8. All imports require an import permit, primarily for
statistical tracking purposes. Special import licenses are
required for certain goods, including designated strategic
items, hazardous chemicals, films and videos, arms and
ammunition, as well as agricultural biotechnology products,
food derived from agricultural biotechnology products,
prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, vitamins with
very high dosages of certain nutrients, and cosmetics/skin
care products. Due to the FTA, Singapore now allows the
importation of chewing gum with therapeutic value for sale,
subject to certain provisions.
STANDARDS, TESTING, LABELING AND CERTIFICATION
¶9. Under the Consumer Protection (Safety Requirements)
Regulations (2002), 45 categories of electrical, electronic,
and gas home appliances and accessories are listed as
controlled goods and require a stamp of approval from the
Government of Singapore's standards and certification
authority (SPRING Singapore). SPRING Singapore recognizes
test reports issued by accredited testing laboratories and
national certification bodies, including those in the United
States. Labels conforming to standardized formats are
required on imported foods, drugs, liquors, paints, and
solvents.
GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT
¶10. Government procurement is generally free and open. The
FTA provides additional government procurement access to
U.S. firms by expanding the contracts that are subject to
FTA disciplines. However, some U.S. firms have expressed
concerns that government-owned and government-linked
companies (GLCs) may receive preferential treatment in the
government procurement process. Singapore's government
denies that it gives any preferences to GLCs or that GLCs
give preferences to other GLCs. Singapore has been a party
to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) since
¶1997.
EXPORT SUBSIDIES
¶11. Singapore's government does not directly subsidize
exports, although it offers significant incentives to
attract export-oriented foreign investments. In addition to
tax incentives and reimbursements to exporters for certain
trade promotion costs, the government also offers grants to
new service suppliers.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPR) PROTECTION
¶12. In line with its FTA commitments, Singapore has
developed one of the strongest IPR regimes in Asia.
Amendments to the Trademarks Act and the Patents Act, a new
Plant Varieties Protection Act, and a new Manufacture of
Optical Discs Act came into effect in July 2004. Amended
Copyright and Broadcasting Acts came into effect in January
2005; further amendments to the Copyright Act came into
effect in August 2005. Singapore has implemented Article 1
to Article 6 of the Joint Recommendation Concerning
Provisions on the Protection of Well-Known Marks of 1999,
and has signed and ratified the International Convention for
the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (1991), the
Convention Relating to the Distribution of Program-Carrying
Signals Transmitted by Satellite (1974), the WIPO Copyright
Treaty (1996), and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms
Treaty (1996). Singapore is a signatory to three other
international IPR agreements: the Paris Convention, the
Patent Cooperation Treaty, and the Budapest Treaty. The
WIPO Secretariat opened offices in Singapore in June 2005.
Parallel Imports
¶13. Under the amended Patents Act, the patent owner has the
right to bring an action to stop an importer of "grey market
goods" from importing the patent owner's patented product,
if the product has not previously been sold or distributed
in Singapore.
Transshipment
¶14. Although a major transshipment and transit point for
sea and air cargo, Singapore does not collect information on
the contents and destinations of most transshipment and
transit trade, which account for 80 percent of the cargo
coming through the port. This lack of information makes
enforcement against transshipment or transit trade in
infringing products virtually impossible. In addition,
goods in transit are not subject to seizure under the
Copyright Act, although it may be possible if a search
warrant is obtained beforehand. Under its FTA commitments,
Singapore passed legislation in November 2003 to provide for
information sharing with the U.S. customs authority and also
with those of its other FTA partners.
Internet
¶15. In accordance with the FTA, Singapore's amended
Copyright Act provides improved protection for digital
works, and outlines requirements and procedures for removing
infringing material from Internet sites.
Enforcement
¶16. In line with its FTA obligations, Singapore has taken
steps to improve IPR protection. Law enforcement efforts
have contributed to a sharp reduction in the production of
pirated material and blatant storefront retail piracy.
According to the Singapore Police, the value of counterfeit
and pirated goods seized in 2004 was $7.4 million, compared
to $19 million in 2003, a reflection of fewer infringing
goods available on the market. In September 2005, the
Singapore Police initiated its first corporate end-user
enforcement action under the amended Copyright Act, raiding
a private company suspected of using approximately $30,000
in illegal software.
¶17. According to industry estimates, Singapore's music
piracy rate averaged 9 percent; for movies, it was about 12
percent. Software piracy levels in Singapore, while among
the lowest in the Asia-Pacific region, are almost double the
estimated level in the United States; business software
losses were estimated at nearly $96 million in 2004.
¶18. Over the past few years, a number of local educational
institutions (the majority government-operated) have signed
agreements to come into compliance with their legal
obligations to pay royalty fees to publishers in exchange
for the right to duplicate copyrighted printed works for use
in course materials. Some commercial copy centers, however,
continue to routinely take orders to copy entire textbooks.
While the police have conducted some raids, their
effectiveness has been limited.
SERVICES BARRIERS
Basic Telecommunications
¶19. On April 1, 2000, Singapore began removing all barriers
limiting foreign entry to the telecommunications sector.
Any foreign or domestic company can provide facilities-based
(fixed line or mobile) or services-based (local,
international, and callback) telecommunications services.
Under the Telecoms Competition Code 2000 (Competition Code),
the former monopoly (and 62.0 percent government-owned)
telecommunications service provider, Singapore
Telecommunications (SingTel), faces competition in all
market segments, including fixed-line, mobile, and paging
services. Its main competitors, MobileOne and StarHub, are
also government-linked companies. The Infocomm Development
Authority (IDA) finalized its triennial review of the
Competition Code, which aims to enhance market transparency,
in March 2005. SingTel has implemented most decisions in
the Code, including making public its prices for
interconnection services.
¶20. In October 2005, in accordance with its FTA commitments
to reduce wholesale prices for local leased circuits, IDA
amended SingTel's Reference Interconnection Offer (RIO) to
provide for an appropriate, open-standard technical
interface. Prior to these changes in technical
specifications, U.S. and other companies were unable to take
advantage of the more competitive pricing structure
initially mandated by IDA in December 2003. Under the FTA,
Singapore also agreed that dominant licensees (SingTel and
StarHub) must offer cost-based access to submarine cable-
landing stations and allow sharing of facilities. The
interpretation of this commitment has, in some cases,
differed from U.S. companies' understandings.
¶21. In April 2005, IDA announced its decision to accept
SingTel's proposal to exempt eight of the ten services that
come under its Dominant Licensee obligations, with
provisions to review three of these services in 2007.
SingTel is no longer required to file tariffs on these
particular services, and has more flexibility in packaging
and bundling them.
Audiovisual and Media Services
¶22. Singapore's local free-to-air broadcasting, cable and
newspaper sectors are effectively closed to foreign firms.
Section 47 of the Broadcasting Act restricts foreign equity
ownership of companies broadcasting to the Singapore
domestic market to less than 49 percent, although the Act
also gives the Media Development Authority (MDA) authority
to waive this requirement. The government also limits
individual equity stakes in broadcasting companies to no
more than five percent of issued shares.
¶23. MediaCorp TV is the only free-to-air TV broadcaster; it
is 80 percent owned by the government and 20 percent by
publicly-listed Singapore Press Holdings (SPH). Under MDA
rules, MediaCorp TV must outsource at least 285 hours of
local content production to independent television
production companies per year. The sole subscription TV
provider, StarHub Cable Vision (SCV), is a 100 percent-owned
subsidiary of a majority government-owned publicly listed
company. Free-to-air radio broadcasters are mainly
government-owned, with MediaCorp Radio Singapore being the
largest operator. BBC World Service is the only foreign
free-to-air broadcaster in Singapore. MDA is considering
imposition of restrictive regulations governing the
relationships between content/channel providers and pay TV
operators in Singapore, i.e., SCV.
¶24. Singapore restricts the use of satellite receiving
dishes and has not authorized direct-to-home satellite
television services. MDA must license the installation and
operation of broadcast-receiving equipment, including
satellite dishes. Satellite broadcasters that want to
operate their own uplink facility must get a special license
from MDA. Satellite broadcasters lacking their own facility
are restricted to using one of four available uplink
facilities.
¶25. The Newspaper and Printing Presses Act restricts equity
ownership (local or foreign) to five percent per
shareholder, unless the government approves a larger
shareholding, and requires that all the directors of a
newspaper company be Singapore citizens. Newspaper
companies must issue two classes of shares, ordinary and
management, with the latter available only to citizens of
Singapore or Singapore companies that have been approved by
the government.
¶26. Media businesses or professionals must be licensed by
MDA in order to provide services or apparatus and equipment.
Printed and audio material are no longer subject to prior
vetting, but licensees are advised to abide by MDA
guidelines. MDA requires all film and video material for
distribution and screening to be certified and classified.
The government can deny or revoke permits without warning or
without giving a reason. Some foreign news publications are
"gazetted," i.e., numerically limited by the government.
Legal Services
¶27. U.S. and other foreign law firms with offices in
Singapore face certain restrictions. They cannot practice
Singapore law, employ Singapore lawyers to practice
Singapore law or litigate in local courts. Since June 1,
2004, U.S. and other foreign lawyers have been allowed to
represent parties in arbitration in Singapore without the
need for a Singapore attorney to be present. U.S. law firms
can provide legal services in relation to Singapore law only
through a Joint Law Venture (JLV) or Formal Law Alliance
(FLA) with a Singapore law firm, subject to the Guidelines
for Registration of Foreign Lawyers in Joint Law Ventures to
Practice Singapore Law. Singapore relaxed some of these
guidelines for U.S. law firms under the FTA. As of October
2005, 16 of the 62 foreign law firms in Singapore were from
the United States. Additionally, there was one U.S. JLV.
¶28. With the exception of law degrees from certain
Australian, New Zealand and British universities, no foreign
university law degrees are recognized for the purpose of
admission to practice law in Singapore. Under the FTA,
Singapore committed to recognizing law degrees from four
U.S. law schools. The list of schools is pending final
approval.
Engineering and Architectural Services
¶29. Engineering and architecture firms can be 100 percent
foreign-owned. In line with FTA provisions, and also
applicable to all foreign firms, Singapore has removed the
requirement that the chairman and two-thirds of the firm's
board of directors must comprise engineers, architects or
land surveyors registered with local professional bodies.
Practicing engineers and architects must register with the
Professional Engineers Board and the Architects Board,
respectively. Under amended legislation, local and foreign
job applicants, including U.S. degree holders, will be
required to have at least four years of practical experience
in engineering or architectural works and pass an
examination set by the respective Board.
Accounting and Tax Services
¶30. The major international accounting firms all operate in
Singapore. Public accountants and at least one partner of a
public accounting firm must reside in Singapore. Only
public accountants who are members of the Institute of
Certified Public Accountants of Singapore and registered
with the Public Accountants Board of Singapore may practice
public accountancy in the country. The Board recognizes
U.S. accountants registered with the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants.
Banking and Securities
Retail Banking
¶31. Singapore maintains legal distinctions between offshore
and domestic banking units, and the type of license held
(full, wholesale or offshore). Except for retail banking,
Singapore laws do not distinguish operationally between
foreign and domestic banks.
¶32. In 1999, Singapore embarked on a five-year banking
liberalization program to ease restrictions on foreign banks
and supplemented this with phased-in provisions under the
FTA. Since then, the government has removed a 40-percent
ceiling on foreign ownership of local banks and a 20-percent
aggregate foreign shareholding limit on finance companies.
It has granted "qualifying full bank" (QFB) or full service
licenses to six foreign banks, including two U.S. banks.
Since January 2004, under the FTA, U.S. licensed full-
service banks have been able to operate at up to 30 customer
service locations (branches or off-premise ATMs); non-U.S.
foreign full-service banks have been allowed to operate at
up to 25 locations since January 2005, up from 15
previously. These full-service banks can also relocate
freely existing branches, and share ATMs among themselves.
They also can provide electronic funds transfer, point-of-
sale debit, and Central Provident Fund (Singapore's
compulsory pension fund) related services.
¶33. The FTA obligates Singapore to further improve market
access for U.S. banks. In June 2005, Singapore lifted its
ban on new licenses for full-service banks, and will do the
same for wholesale banks by January 1, 2007. Licensed full-
service banks will able to operate at an unlimited number of
locations commencing January 1, 2006. Locally incorporated
subsidiaries of U.S. full-service banks can apply for access
to local ATM networks beginning June 30, 2006; non-locally
incorporated subsidiaries of U.S. full-service banks can
begin doing so January 1, 2008.
¶34. Despite liberalization, foreign banks, including U.S.
banks, in the domestic retail banking sector still face
barriers. Local retail banks do not face similar
constraints on customer service locations or access to the
local ATM network. Foreign charge card issuers are
prohibited from allowing their local card holders to access
their accounts through the local ATM networks. Customers of
foreign banks are also unable to access their accounts for
cash withdrawals, transfers, or bill payments at ATMs
operated by banks other than their own.
¶35. The Minister of Finance must approve acquisition of 5
percent, 12 percent, and 20 percent or more of the voting
shares of a local bank. Although it has lifted the formal
ceilings on foreign ownership of local banks and finance
companies, the government has indicated that it will not
allow a foreign takeover of a local financial institution.
Foreign penetration of the Singapore banking system is
comparatively high, with foreign banks holding about 40
percent of non-bank deposits; the government has stated
publicly that it wants local banks' share of total resident
deposits to remain above 50 percent.
Restricted and Offshore Banking
¶36. Since 2001, Singapore's licensing regime has shifted
away from distinguishing between on-shore and offshore
banking activities to one that distinguishes between retail
and wholesale activities. Over time, the Monetary Authority
of Singapore (MAS) intends to upgrade all offshore banks to
wholesale bank status, thus enabling them to conduct a wider
range of activities. New foreign bank entrants are also
eligible to apply for wholesale banking licenses. Unless
otherwise approved by MAS, wholesale banks can operate in
only one location.
Restrictions on Singapore Dollar Lending
¶37. Non-residents can borrow local currency freely if the
proceeds are used in Singapore. Non-resident financial
entities may borrow local currency freely for use in or
outside Singapore if the amount does not exceed S$5 million;
if it does, the amount must be swapped or converted into
foreign currency upon drawdown. There are no controls on
the borrowing of Singapore dollars by residents. MAS
requires banks to report their monthly aggregate outstanding
Singapore dollar lending to non-resident financial
institutions.
Securities
¶38. In January 2002, Singapore removed all trading
restrictions on foreign-owned stockbrokers. Aggregate
investment by foreigners, however, may not exceed 70 percent
of the paid-up capital of dealers that are members of the
Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX). Foreign funds may be
registered directly, provided the prospectus is from an
entity registered as a foreign company in Singapore, and the
fund is approved by MAS.
Distribution Services
¶39. Beginning January 2002, the Ministry of Trade and
Industry implemented a Multi-Level Marketing and Pyramid
Selling (Excluded Schemes and Arrangements) Order to clarify
which kinds of multi-level and direct marketing/selling
arrangements, be they local or foreign, were legal in
Singapore. The order prohibits compensation for recruitment
of participants. It prohibits any Singapore-registered
company or citizen/resident from promoting any overseas
pyramid selling marketed through the Internet. Insurance
businesses licensed under the Insurance Act and its
subsidiary legislations, master franchise schemes, and
direct selling schemes that meet conditions listed in the
Order are exempted from the Act.
INVESTMENT BARRIERS
¶40. Singapore has a generally open investment regime and no
overarching screening process for foreign investment.
Singapore places no restrictions on reinvestment or
repatriation of earnings and capital. Singapore maintains
limits on foreign investment in broadcasting, the news
media, domestic retail banking, property ownership, and some
government-linked companies. The FTA requires Singapore not
to impose performance-related requirements in connection
with the establishment, acquisition, expansion, management,
conduct, operation, sale or other disposition of an
investment.
ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
¶41. Singapore has no significant barriers hindering the
development and use of electronic commerce. The FTA contains
state-of-the-art provisions on electronic commerce,
including national treatment and most-favored-nation
obligations for products delivered electronically,
affirmation that services disciplines cover all services
delivered electronically, and permanent duty-free status of
products delivered electronically.
¶42. Singapore considers the Internet to fall within the
scope of its Broadcasting Act. Internet Service Providers
(ISPs) must channel all Internet traffic through Internet
Access Service Providers (IASPs) that function as main
"gateways" to the Internet. Internet Service Resellers,
Internet Content Providers (ICPs), individuals who put up
personal web pages, software developers and providers of raw
financial information, and news wire services do not have to
register with the MDA.
OTHER BARRIERS
Competition
¶43. The FTA contains specific conduct guarantees to ensure
that commercial enterprises in which the Singapore
government has effective influence will operate on the basis
of commercial considerations and will not discriminate in
their treatment of U.S. firms. In accordance with its FTA
commitments, Singapore enacted the Competition Act 2004.
Singapore is implementing the Act in three phases. Phase I
established the Competition Commission of Singapore in
January 2005. Phase II involves implementation of provisions
on anti-competitive agreements, decisions and practices,
abuse of dominance, enforcement, and the appeals process.
These will come into effect during the first half of 2006.
Phase III provisions will address mergers and acquisitions
and will come into effect in 2007.
¶44. The FTA also includes obligations for greater
transparency among government enterprises with substantial
revenues or assets. Singapore has an extensive network of
GLCs that are active in many sectors of the economy. Some
sectors, notably telecommunications, power
generation/distribution, and financial services, are subject
to sector-specific regulatory bodies and competition
regulations, typically less rigorous than those being
implemented under the Competition Act. Some observers have
raised concerns that GLCs may act in anticompetitive ways, a
charge government officials strongly deny.
Transparency
¶45. The United States welcomes actions by Singapore to
circulate more draft laws and regulations for public
comment, including those relating to the implementation of
the FTA, in keeping with the FTA's transparency obligations.
FERGIN