A former colonial island trading and military outpost of the far-flung British Empire, the tiny Republic of Singapore has transformed itself into a modern Asian nation and a major player in the global economy, though it still largely restricts political freedoms in the name of maintaining economic growth. Singapore's heavy dependence on international trade makes regional stability and the free flow of goods and services essential to its existence. As a result, the island nation is a firm supporter of both U.S. international trade policy and the U.S. security role in Asia, but also maintains close relations with China. The U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA) went into effect in January 2004. The People's Action Party (PAP) has won every general election since 1959, aided by a fragmented opposition, Singapore's economic success, and electoral procedures that strongly favor the PAP. In 2010, new changes to the constitution guarantee that more non-PAP members will be represented in the parliament, but opposition candidates' campaigning is likely to be limited by existing controls over freedom of speech and assembly. As one of the closest U.S. partners in ASEAN, Singapore is a supporter of closer American engagement in Southeast Asia. Maintaining strong relations with both ...