SINGAPORE, Nov 30 — The United States Ambassador to Singapore, Kirk Wagar, touches on issues such as spying allegations and the Trans-Pacific Partnership in an interview with Channel NewsAsia’s Augustine Anthuvan. Here are excerpts:

Q: There are concerns about the alleged US spying that has been going on, and it has taken a significant toll on relationships with countries such as Germany and Indonesia.

A: I’m not going to speak about any particular case or matter, but I will say that President Barack Obama himself has said he’s going to do a reassessment of our programme.

The one thing I know is, our President has a full understanding not only of his role in the United States but also America’s role in the world, his good friends and good partners. So, I’ve every confidence that if there are things that need to be updated and changed, I’m glad the President is the one who’s conducting that reassessment.

Q: On the issue of America’s role in the world, the USS Freedom was deployed here and out on exercises, but it was also called to duty in response to the situation in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan.

A: Our men and women in our military are, by far, our best assets that show who we are as a people. And it was not just the Freedom, although it was certainly integral in our response to help our friends in the Philippines ... but also the USS George Washington that was in port about three or four weeks ago. We had the ability to bring a lot of folks on to really meet some of our young men and women — they were, I think, the first international force on the ground.

So, that is part of America’s role not just in South-east Asia, but in the world ... I think what happened in the Philippines, unfortunately, was a terrible tragedy, but it showed once again why it’s important for America to have such a robust role in the Pacific.

Q: There have been a couple of incidents involving cyber crime in Singapore — which is scary, to say the least. What are your views on this?

A: I think as wired a society as Singapore is, it is completely understandable that they become a point of contact for people who want to deal in mischief or worse. So, Singapore is dealing with it as every other technological society or company is. Facebook faces similar issues to what Singapore is dealing with right now ... Together, we can learn the (security) lessons from the attacks that have happened, but I do think it’s a very serious issue.

I think it is not an innocent game — there are some very serious ramifications that could happen. We have a lot of data that are included in all of our systems — personal data, medical data, defence data — and these are things that people should not take lightly. This is an attack on Singapore ... and I think that America would have responded the same way.

Envoy Hagard talks up copyright and intellectual property rights issues. — File pic courtesy of CNBC

Q: On the subject of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), often the perception is that it is not exactly doing what it is supposed to do which, some people are concerned, will work against all the wonderful things that it is made out to be.

A: I think the Trans-Pacific Partnership is the most exciting thing to happen to the region and the US in a very long time ... I think it is, as we say, promoting a race to the top. I think with the integration between Latin America, North America and South-east Asia and all of Asia, as well as Oceania, it is an exciting time. This is a region that is very comfortable with trading among itself.

Q: Word is that the TPP agreement might happen before year-end?

A: We are certainly working very hard in that regard ... I met US Trade Representative Mike Froman when I was in Washington DC and we are full speed ahead. But the exciting part about the TPP is that it is a document that we expect to be bound by and others expect to be bound by. So, when you get to the end, that little bit of tweaking on page 8 is completely reasonable if it is a document that you expect to hold others accountable to.

Q: Issues like copyright and intellectual property rights — won’t these be a stumbling block to getting the TPP moving?

A: No, because I think the countries that have signed on to the TPP understand how important that is. Nobody is going to open a manufacturing plant if they are worried about someone taking all that intellectual capital and starting their own three years down the road.

They are just not going to invest in the region, so that is bad for the countries. And the countries that are in the forefront of the TPP understand that, but many others are hoping to get in. But intellectual property is really fundamental to the success of this agreement because that’s the only way people are going to invest.

Q: Is there any particular project you would like to pay special attention to, in your term here in Singapore?

A: Well, I cannot emphasise enough the TPP and I think that ... is probably one of the important policy goals in all of America ... One of the things that I want to see, at the end of my tenure here, is for the TPP to not only be signed, sealed and delivered, as the song goes, but really maximised in a way that people have not even fathomed yet. That is my hope. — Today