Author: Chen-Yuan Tung

Strategically, Singapore has chosen a pragmatic and clear-eyed path. The Prime Minister acknowledged that Singapore lacks the scale to compete with major powers such as the United States and China in developing foundational AI models. Instead, its comparative advantage lies in deploying AI “effectively, responsibly, and swiftly.” This declaration signals that Singapore has no intention of entering an arms race in model development. Rather, it aims to position itself as a global hub and testing ground for AI solutions. Instead of pursuing scale for its own sake, the country seeks to excel in application efficiency and systems integration.

By Dr. TUNG Chen-Yuan, Taiwan’s Representative to Singapore – AI image for illustrative purposes only. In Singapore, health is no longer merely a slogan. It has become something measurable, accumulable, and even redeemable. In 2019, Singapore’s Health Promotion Board launched the Healthy 365 app, extending the philosophy of preventive healthcare into everyday life. Over the years, this digital platform has steadily woven itself into the rhythm of the city, guiding residents to make healthier choices in diet, exercise, and sleep. Whether citizens, permanent residents, or foreign residents holding valid work or residence passes, anyone can participate simply by downloading the app.…

Singapore’s Online Criminal Harms Act empowers the government to issue legally binding directives to major online platforms, requiring them to remove accounts, block content, or even restrict applications. As digital platforms have become primary arenas for criminal activity, platform operators are now expected to assume gatekeeping responsibilities rather than claim technological neutrality.

Taiwan’s investment in non-China destinations has continued to rise. In 2016, investment in non-China regions surpassed investment in China for the first time, marking a key turning point. By 2022, the share had further increased to 66.4%. In 2025, investment in non-China regions accounted for as much as 96.2% of Taiwan’s total outward investment—around 12 times the level invested in China—demonstrating a highly diversified and multi-pronged outward investment pattern.

Taiwan became Singapore’s largest merchandise trading partner in 2025, surpassing China and Malaysia. Notably, just one year earlier in 2024, Taiwan ranked only fourth. This sharp rise does not reflect a short-term anomaly, but rather the combined outcome of supply chain realignments and structural changes in trade patterns.

The AI semiconductor market is expected to grow to US$438.5 billion by 2029, maintaining a robust compound annual growth rate of 25.9%.

Even as TSMC’s international footprint reaches unprecedented scale, the center of gravity of global chip manufacturing remains—and for the foreseeable future will continue to remain—firmly anchored in Taiwan.

The gap between leading enterprises is actually widening, making Taiwan’s strategic position in the global supply chain even more prominent.

The defense sector has become integral to gradually shaping a powerful social consensus: in Singapore, to be an officer is to be an elite.