Singapore is non-aligned. It is a member of the United Nations - occupying a rotational seat on the UN Security Council 2001-2002 - and several of its specialized and related agencies, and also of the Commonwealth.

Singapore has participated in UN peacekeeping/observer missions in Kuwait, Angola, Namibia, Cambodia, and East Timor. Singapore supports the concept of Southeast Asian regionalism and plays an active role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

Disputes - international:

Disputes with Malaysia over:

  • deliveries of fresh water to Singapore
  • Singapore's land reclamation works on Johor
  • maritime boundaries
  • Singapore-occupied islet called Pedra Branca in Singapore, Pulau Batu Putih (White Rock island) in Malaysia. Area: 0.2 hectare. Located 20 nautical miles off the east coast of Singapore. Parties agree to International Court of Justice arbitration on island dispute within three years.

Illicit drugs: transit point for Golden Triangle heroin going to North America, Western Europe, and the Third World; also a money laundering centre.