SINGAPORE, April 3 -- Singapore's inclusion in sweeping new US tariffs has raised eyebrows, with a former senior trade official calling it an unexpected move against a close ally.

President Donald Trump's latest trade policy, announced yesterday, imposes a 10 per cent tariff on all imports into the US, alongside hefty "reciprocal" tariffs on 60 trading partners.

While the highest rates target Asian economies - Cambodia at 49 per cent and China at 34 per cent - Singapore, despite its long-standing free trade agreement (FTA) with Washington, has not been spared.

Wendy Cutler, vice-president of the Asia Society Policy Institute and former acting deputy US trade representative, said to The Straits Times: "Hitting Singapore, a close ally an...