Global Value Chains, From Where You Sit

An evening with Prof Ang Siah Hwee on 8th October 2026, Singapore

Pandan Initiative recently hosted Prof Ang Siah Hwee for a conversation on a pressing question for businesses in the region: who pays when global value chains are disrupted amid rising trade tensions?

Prof Ang is the Visiting NTUC Professor of International Economic Relations at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, and Professor of Strategy and International Business and Chair in Business in Asia at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. His work sits at the intersection of strategy, competition, international trade and government policy.

What has actually shifted? Prof Ang examined whether companies have truly moved their supply chains since recent global shocks, or simply rearranged them. In many cases, the map looks different but the underlying dependencies remain.

The one supplier you can’t replace. Risk often hides in the smallest inputs. Using the example of ink for instant noodle packaging, he showed how a single component can hold up an entire product line, and why companies need to diversify how they source and where they hold inventory.

Holding more stock: whose cash is tied up? Inventory cycles are lengthening as new European packaging regulations add to existing logistics pressures. Larger buffers bring resilience, but someone along the chain carries the cost.

Beyond efficiency. Agricultural inputs are likely to become more expensive. When trade turns political, the question is no longer only about cost, but about who gets left behind.

From where Singapore sits. Drawing on his experience in both countries, Prof Ang noted that Singapore, like New Zealand, is a small market of 5 to 6 million people. Its lasting advantage lies not in market size but in its people, and in continued investment in strong governance and human capital.

Pandan Initiative thanks Prof Ang for a thoughtful session, and all participants for their engaged questions and discussion.