I lived in that part of the world for 5 years. Just came back to North America last year. It is extremely difficult to avoid SQ if you live in Singapore, but there are is enough Cathay, BA and Qantas traffic that you might just manage to avoid *A.

I pretty much stuck with Amex the whole time, but Citibank does offer a Cathay Pacific Visa card in Singapore that might meet your needs. The application process might be a little onerous if you don't have all the official documents you need when you ned them. That's why I stuck with Amex global transfer.

Whenever relocating overseas, I find it useful to visit the local Citibank, HSBC and American Express website to find out about card possibilities. Amex usually has an affinity card for the biggest local airline (or close to it; ie: AF/KL in France, BA in the UK, AC in Canada, Qantas in Oz, SQ in Singapore, etc.) Citi and HSBC, depending on the country, usually have an extensive presence. Even if they don't offer what you're after, they will give you an idea of what is generally available in terms of products, rewards and fees in that country.