Singapore prioritising pharmaceutical supply chains in US tariff talks

Pharmaceutical supply chains account for more than 10 per cent of Singapore’s exports to the US

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Published: 5:29pm, 10 Jul 2025

Singapore’s tariff talks with the US will include a focus on pharmaceutical supply chains as the trade-reliant nation navigates President Donald Trump’s global trade war.

“Pharmaceuticals have a very complex supply chain and a very long supply chain,” Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said at a briefing on Thursday. The conversations with the US Commerce Department will include “how can we make sure that we are able to continually facilitate the trade between Singapore and the US” on pharmaceuticals, he said.

The US president indicated earlier this week that he could offer pharmaceutical manufacturers at least a year before applying a 200 per cent tariff on their foreign-made products.

Pfizer, Amgen and Merck have manufacturing facilities in Singapore, where pharmaceuticals account for more than 10 per cent of the city’s exports to the US.

Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong is planning a trip to the US this month to understand Washington’s priorities. Photo: Reuters

Singapore has not received a letter from the Trump administration in this round, and its exports are still subject to a 10 per cent baseline tariff that was announced in April. The tariff was levied on Singapore despite a free-trade agreement in place since 2004.

Singapore prioritising pharmaceutical supply chains in US tariff talks

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Pharmaceutical supply chains account for more than 10 per cent of Singapore’s exports to the US

Pharmaceutical supply chains account for more than 10 per cent of Singapore’s exports to the US