A candid conversation with the German Ambassador to Singapore.

What was H.E. Dr. Bettina Fanghänel, German Ambassador to Singapore, discussing so seriously in the car? Her answer: "Masters of Kiasu." Curious? Find out what she meant and how the German Embassy is marking 60 years of Singapore-Germany ties in our exclusive interview! Stay updated here: www.growingtogether.sg

This follows our amazing second Embassy Night of 2025 which was filled with engaging conversations from an exciting guest list of international journalists and media professionals, and fantastic food! 

Of all the weeks for Embassy Night: Germany one happened just the week before their election in the weekend. Tariff threats looming. The rise of the right. JD Vance in Munich. Trump, Putin and Ukraine. And that's before we get to a new ambassador with a lot of China on her resume, not to mention recently upgraded Singapore ties and a renewed focus on Asia for the industrial heartbeat and largest economy in Europe.

Dereek Wallbank who initiated this programme said: "Embassy Nights was created nearly one year ago as a way to build spaces to hear from people with not just different opinions, but different baselines altogether. In a world too eager to build new barriers, it's a venue to break bread. In a world of conflict, a place where we can talk with each other."

There's no time for that conversation like the present.

The Singapore Press Club convened a broad range of reporters, editors and veterans of Singapore's local and international press corps -- Bloomberg, Reuters, BBC, Wall Street Journal, The Straits Times, The Business Times, Lianhe Zaobao, CNA, Die Welt, Kyodo News, Business Insider, ARD Germany Radio and TV, Kontinentalist, Tabla!,  Travel + Leisure and more were all there, joined by top communicators and business leaders.

That group combined for a diverse array of questions that easily filled the hour and could've gone far longer. We walked away with a better understanding of Germany and Europe's plans, priorities and values as they too try to navigate this shifting world.

Thanks to Ambassador Dr. Bettina Fanghänel for taking every single question, as well as Anja Shmidt, Ying Huang and team members Alexandera and Bansheng, at the Embassy of Germany in Singapore for facilitating the conversation.