Singapore is facing criticism for securing an exclusive deal with Taylor Swift, but Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong insists it’s not an unfriendly act toward neighboring countries.

“On a few occasions, Singapore has secured deals, and this one with Taylor Swift was one of them. It turned out to be a very successful deal. I don’t regard it as unfriendly. Sometimes one country wins a deal, sometimes another,” said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on March 5.

Taylor Swift’s six-night sold-out concert series in Singapore, starting from March 2, is expected to attract over 300,000 attendees in total. However, some neighboring countries have expressed dissatisfaction for not bringing “The Eras Tour” to their countries.

Some figures, including Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, suggest that Taylor Swift was paid millions of dollars by the Singapore government not to perform anywhere else in the region.

Thai Prime Minister Thavisin quoted a music concert organizer who revealed that Singapore proposed to pay Taylor Swift up to $3 million per show in Singapore, on the condition that she doesn’t perform anywhere else in Southeast Asia.

A lawmaker in the Philippines also criticized Singapore, stating that this is not something “good neighbors should do.”

Singapore’s Culture Minister Edwin Tong addressed these allegations before the country’s parliament on March 4, stating, “There have been rumors circulating online about the amount involved. I can say that those figures are not accurate and are in fact not as high as speculated.”

However, he declined to disclose the exact amount and terms, citing “commercial confidentiality.”

Minister Tong also emphasized that “the economic benefits to Singapore are assessed to be very significant and far outweigh the sum spent.”