By this time, may Singapore exporters wake up to realities. Our World is in a state of turmoil, & often beyond our control. However, we Singaporeans do have the ability to rise & overcome obstacles as our forefathers had done & gained successes. It lays in critical thinking. What one market or markets had decline, others are STILL available, as Human needs are forever.
USA, Europe & China are in bitter contentions. But Asian, Latin America & the breadbasket of the World if they are able to end corruption - Africa, are STILL available - little touched by world concerns, with exports & imports needs.
However, may our Economic Development Board & our local exporters be aware, such nations are not straight-forward & easy than previous markets that are rules based. There are very much Cultural & traditions that each must be aware of, & to be careful, to NOT make the mistakes that USA, EU & China had done, nor the Suzhou debacle ever allowed to happen again to our exporters. Due diligence is necessary. Most in the West & China believed in the Bell Curve theory & deemed them not highly intelligent. We Singaporeans MUST NOT under-estimate them. Bell Curve theory may or may not be true, but they possess animal cunning for survival, & is FAR AHEAD than us sheltered Singaporeans in such intelligence.
Singaporean exporters had always be pragmatic but were often at the tail-end of the supply chains of bigger exporters, gaining scraps. While such big International exporters are mired with difficult politically caused issues, we Singapore may quietly seize the OPPORTUNITY to blaze a trail there, by being smart, to avoid contentious issues, & only focus on what those nations need critically - which are hi-tech industries, critical education opportunities for all in those agrarian societies, improved health & sanitation products, etc, in return for the revenue & food as imports that we need.
It is not for nothing that our Prime Minister recently went to Africa.
