San Diego to Singapore 2024
As we depart Singapore on the heels of World Trade Center San Diego’s seventh international trade mission, it is with a tremendous amount of gratitude for the broad coalition of San Diego leadership that joins us year after year all over the globe to deepen existing partnerships, explore new opportunities, and enthusiastically showcase the breadth and depth of the region’s economy.
Led this year by Congressman Scott Peters—his fourth time at the helm for WTCSD—the 2024 delegation included leadership from the Port, Airport and City of San Diego, UC San Diego and San Diego State University, large global employers like Qualcomm, Illumina, Cubic, ResMed, Austal, and Mitsubishi Electric, as well as small, high-growth innovators like Biolinq and Visaic, tourism powerhouses like the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, and ecosystem partners from across the binational region like Connect, the Chamber, the Tourism Authority, Tijuana EDC, and the Prebys Foundation.
This year we headed for another innovative, binational region by the sea, which is also the world’s premier gateway to Asia: Singapore. In a moment for the global economy characterized by geopolitical uncertainty, rapidly shifting supply chains in advanced industries, and climate action and energy transition, this city state of only six million people is partnering with industry to create solutions for today’s challenges.
- Despite being a high-cost destination with limited land and natural resources, advanced manufacturing makes up 20 percent of Singapore’s GDP—almost double San Diego’s numbers—due to world-class vertical manufacturing facilities co-designed by the government and companies including San Diego firms Illumina and ResMed.
- Nearly 400,000 people cross into Singapore from Malaysia to work every day—almost double the volume of our busy border with Tijuana—and the border authority is piloting new, fully automated clearance technology to increase efficiency as well as partnering with Malaysia on a new rapid transit system that will open in 2026.
- From rooftop greenery and food production, water desalination and underground cooling systems, to engineering the bayfront to naturally protect the city from future sea level rise, Singapore’s intentional regional planning efforts have created a city that is simultaneously one of the densest in the world as well as one of the smartest and one of the greenest.
Our goals for these trade missions are threefold:
- To facilitate transactional wins that bring jobs and investment to San Diego.
- To enable best practice sharing to help us address our biggest regional challenges.
- To share San Diego’s innovation story in a market that matters for our economic future.
Over a whirlwind three days filled with more than 15 meetings and events, our delegation hit all of these goals and then some.
Jobs and investment:
- We held our Spotlight on San Diego event, in which 70 Singaporean investors and business leaders interested in investing in California heard from our delegates about big projects and opportunities in both San Diego and Tijuana in life sciences, strategic technology, and SDSU’s innovation district.
- Small, high-growth San Diego companies pitched to Singapore’s institutional investment firm that funds innovation worldwide.
- Port of San Diego called on a number of shipping companies in order to attract more liner service to San Diego.
- MELIC Ventures—the venture arm of Mitsubishi Electric—established a proof-of-concept agreement with a maritime drone company.
Partnerships:
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and Singapore’s Mandai Wildlife Group exchanged knowledge on strategic planning and critical global wildlife conservation, all financed by visitor income.
- The Port authorities of San Diego and Singapore began discussions on an MOU focused on green and sustainable shipping corridors.
- The City of San Diego explored housing policy and infrastructure with the Centre for Liveable Cities, Singapore’s Ministry of National Development, and the developer firms that partner together to house every Singaporean.
- UC San Diego and National University Singapore deepened a recent MOU on digital health, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship with plans to establish a soft landing exchange for entrepreneurs.
Global identity:
- We met with Singaporean leadership from the Deputy Prime Minister, the Economic Development Board, Enterprise Singapore, A*Star and dozens of others in order to share what makes San Diego so special.
- Companies with big Singapore operations—like Illumina, ResMed, and Qualcomm—shared their successes and reminded our hosts that they represent San Diego technology and innovation.
- Our final reception—held at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador per WTCSD trade mission tradition—brought together 100 partners and stakeholders from across the region to cement bonds and celebrate a productive and successful week.
As is always the case with our trade missions, the nonstop few days in the market get most of the attention. However, the bulk of the work happens in the months before—when the WTCSD team works diligently with and through so many of you to identify opportunities and priorities—and even more importantly in those that follow—when deals get inked, investments and expansions are confirmed, and partnerships deepen.
So, as we return home to San Diego—where the sun is shining and the Padres are in the playoffs—we thank our delegates again for taking the time from very busy calendars to travel with us and represent San Diego. And we also invite all of you to watch this space closely in the weeks and months ahead, because we are just getting started.
Nikia Clarke
Senior Vice President; Executive Director, World Trade Center San Diego