Trade war could have "big, negative impact" on Singapore: PM Lee

SINGAPORE - Singapore is very vulnerable to an escalation of a trade dispute between the world's two major economies, the United States and China, the city-state's prime minister said in an opinion piece published by the Washington Post.

"Singapore is a global hub that connects the economies of the United States and Asia. We are a small, open economy with trade flows more than three times our GDP," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.

"A trade war between the two largest economies in the world will have a big, negative impact on Singapore."

Lee said that aside from the economic impact, strained ties between the two countries would make it harder for them to co-operate on issues such as North Korea and climate change.