Three distinct obligations
A registered agent receives service of process in a US state. A registered office is the statutory address where correspondence is received in jurisdictions such as Hong Kong and Singapore. A company secretary is a governance role with statutory duties, mandatory in Hong Kong and Singapore.
They are not interchangeable, and a lapse in any of them has consequences that appear at the worst moment — usually during a financing or a bank application.
Why continuity matters
These appointments are continuous. Where they lapse, an entity can fall out of good standing, and bringing it back can require additional filings.
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Hong Kong or Singapore for an Asian holding company
Both are credible common-law jurisdictions with different substance expectations. The choice usually comes down to where your people and counterparties actually are.