October 29, 2024

The Chamber joined a trade delegation to Singapore led by Congressman Scott Peters and our partners at the World Trade Center San Diego. Delegates learned about Singapore’s innovation and technology approach to industry, infrastructure, urban planning, and border infrastructure. In fact, Singapore is home to the busiest land port of entry in the world, which processes up to 400K travelers each day waiting just about an hour during peak hours – for reference, the San Ysidro land port of entry processes around 100k per day and experiences up to 4-5 hour waits. Similarly to our region, most travelers cross the border for work and return home to Malaysia in the evenings. However, Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoint Authority invests heavily in automation, AI, and technology to expedite crossings while ensuring national security. Check out this short video on their new automated immigration checkpoint at their international airport which highlights how they leverage technology at ports of entry. 

 Chamber staff is working with the World Trade Center San Diego on a follow up meeting with Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority to connect with interested members and stakeholders in our region.