What govt agencies brought to the table, including ikan bilis

The MTI officials involved in bringing the FTA to fruition include (back row, from left) assistant director Gerbera Choo, deputy secretary (Trade) Luke Goh, director-general (Trade) Ng Bee Kim, director Chua Shun Loong and assistant director Judith H
The MTI officials involved in bringing the FTA to fruition include (back row, from left) assistant director Gerbera Choo, deputy secretary (Trade) Luke Goh, director-general (Trade) Ng Bee Kim, director Chua Shun Loong and assistant director Judith Ho. In front are senior director Adrian Ng (left) and deputy director Darryl Leong. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
MFA and MTI officials in Brussels who worked to secure support for the EU-Singapore agreements (from left to right) Logaventhan Karuppannan, First Secretary (Political), Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in Belgium, Koong Pai Ching, Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister-Counsellor, Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in Belgium, Joses Wong, First Secretary (Economics), North America and Europe Division, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Violet Lee, Personal Assistant to the Ambassador, Jaya Ratnam, Ambassador to the EU, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, Royston Julian, Communications Officer, Alson Tay, Assistant Director (Europe), North America and Europe Division, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Lum Zhi Lei, First Secretary (Political), Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in Belgium and Phoebe Kwan, First Secretary (Admin & Consular), Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in Belgium. PHOTO: SINGAPORE’S EMBASSY AND MISSION TO THE EU
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When Singapore wanted to give the European Union a taste of the benefits a free trade agreement between the two jurisdictions could bring, it turned to the humble ikan bilis.

Negotiators brought the dried fish product that is ubiquitous in Singapore kitchens, and is commonly used in dishes such as nasi lemak and Chinese fried rice, for their EU counterparts to sample.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 18, 2019, with the headline What govt agencies brought to the table, including ikan bilis. Subscribe