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$2 Daiso deals and cheaper groceries are the real dividends of free trade
Free trade needs a reframe. Keeping consumer markets competitive and affordable may be more effective than the traditional narrative of jobs and factories.
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As the global tide turns against openness, Singapore must do the opposite, says the writer, and pursue more, not fewer, trade deals that keep barriers low and markets contestable.
ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
Selena Ling
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Free trade agreements (FTAs) are usually discussed in the language of gross domestic product and investment flows. But let us be honest: Most Singaporeans care less about export statistics than about how much they are paying at the cashier.
That is where trade deals are quietly showing up – in $2 Daiso finds, affordable Decathlon gear and wallet-friendly Chinese food and beverage chains sprouting across malls in Singapore
