On 7 October 2025, the Competition & Antitrust and Trade Practice held the “Semiconductors at the Crossroads: Trade, Tariffs & Geopolitics — A Strategic Roundtable for ASEAN and Singapore”.
The global semiconductor sector is navigating unprecedented disruption as US-China trade tensions intensify. Recent export controls, retaliatory tariffs, and evolving rules of origin have created a complex compliance environment, challenging even the most globalised and agile players in the sector. The roundtable discussed the real-world implications of these developments and how Singapore and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) can serve as strategic anchors in this volatile landscape. Key topics covered included:
- the latest export control regimes, tariffs, and China-specific trade restrictions;
- how companies are restructuring supply chains to remain agile and compliant;
- interpreting and navigating complex rules of origin under multiple free trade agreements (FTAs);
- leveraging Singapore’s infrastructure, trade networks, and regulatory clarity; and
- building operational resilience and de-risking future investment decisions.
Kala Anandarajah, BBM, Head of the Competition and Antitrust and Trade Practice, and Partner Tanya Tang from the same Practice were the speakers.
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