Singapore, Thailand ink pacts on rice trade, healthcare during Anutin’s visit
The one-day trip is the Thai PM’s first to the Republic since taking on the top job in September
[SINGAPORE] Singapore and Thailand on Friday (Nov 7) pledged deeper cooperation on rice trade and healthcare leadership during Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s official visit to Singapore.
Under the memorandum of cooperation on rice trade, Thailand is to support and facilitate the assured sale of rice on mutually agreed terms, upon request by the Singapore government, said the Republic’s Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment.
The deal reiterates both countries’ commitment to open, transparent and mutually beneficial trade in rice, and aims to expand this trade by avoiding unnecessary restrictive measures, noted the ministry’s factsheet.
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, in a joint press conference with Anutin, noted that Singapore imports most of its food sources, and that Thailand is an agriculture-exporting nation.
“This is a win-win agreement which will ensure a stable supply of rice for Singapore, while opening up new market opportunities for Thai producers,” said PM Wong.
This is Singapore’s second rice trade pact with a trading partner, following last week’s memorandum of cooperation with Vietnam signed at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders’ Week in South Korea. Under that deal, Vietnam is to support the “unimpeded export of a mutually agreed quantity” of rice to Singapore.
A statement on the Thai government’s website announced that the kingdom will sell up to 100,000 tonnes of rice to Singapore at prevailing international market prices.
The deal will be in force for five years upon its signing, with a renewal option for successive five-year periods.
In 2024, Singapore imported 112,744 tonnes of rice from Thailand – about a quarter of its total rice imports – according to data from the World Integrated Trade Solution.
SEE ALSO
The agreement was signed on Friday by Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu and Thailand’s Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun. It was exchanged by Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Zaqy Mohamad and Suthumpun in the presence of PM Wong and Anutin.
Healthcare cooperation
Under the healthcare agreement, both countries pledge to strengthen collaboration on programmes focused on healthcare leadership development for the care of the ageing population in Thailand.
This includes building capabilities of Thai healthcare leaders through knowledge sharing and training programmes in governance, policy implementation strategies, service and clinical quality, process improvement, as well as service integration, especially in the areas of geriatrics and rehabilitation services.
PM Wong said in the joint press conference: “Both our societies are rapidly ageing. We can learn from each other to help our seniors live well – in good health, with dignity and with purpose.”
The collaboration will be spearheaded by Changi General Hospital, a public tertiary hospital under Singapore Health Services (SingHealth). It will leverage its established expertise in geriatric medicine, said the Republic’s Ministry of Health.
The memorandum of understanding between SingHealth and the Department of Medical Services under Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health was signed by SingHealth group chief executive officer Ng Wai Hoe and the director-general of the Department of Medical Services, Nutthapong Wongwiwat, on the Thai side.
Scams and cybercrime
Another area of cooperation discussed by the two leaders was in combatting scams and cybercrime.
Said PM Wong: “As our economies and societies go digital, these threats have become a shared concern, and they are a national priority for both our countries.”
Referring to the partnership between Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority and Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to tackle scams, PM Wong urged continuity in strengthening such cooperation – bilaterally and across Asean.
In May, both countries pledged to combat scams by strengthening cooperation in regulatory, investigations and enforcement proceedings; improving research and education on anti-scam measures; and increasing knowledge exchange through training programmes and staff exchanges.
The memorandum of understanding on cooperation in combatting scam telephone calls and scam short message service was exchanged on the sidelines of the Asia Tech x Summit – between Minister of State for Digital Development and Information and Education Jasmin Lau and NBTC chairman Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck.
Anutin also brought up the issue of transnational online scams, noting that Thailand will soon host an international conference on combatting them and will work closely with Singapore and other partners.
First official visit
The one-day trip is Anutin’s first to Singapore since he took on the top job in September, and takes place as the two South-east Asian neighbours mark six decades of diplomatic relations.
Noting that Anutin is a “good friend” of Singapore, PM Wong added that the Republic was honoured that the Thai leader decided to visit early in his term.
It is Anutin’s fourth overseas trip as prime minister – following an official visit to Laos on Oct 16, one to Malaysia on Oct 25, ahead of the 47th Asean Summit; and a trip to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meetings.
During this visit, Anutin – who is also Thailand’s interior minister – called on Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam. He also stopped by the National Orchid Garden, where a new orchid hybrid was named in his honour, before being hosted to an official lunch by PM Wong.
At the lunch, Anutin and his delegation were served Singapore fried Hokkien mee, a dish the Thai leader told PM Wong he enjoyed when they met at Apec.
Anutin joked that he has “food security” whenever he visits Singapore, and that he would be bringing with him some 30 packets of the local dish when he returns to Thailand this evening.
The Thai leader added that he was “especially touched” by PM Wong’s congratulatory phone call when he assumed office two months ago, and that it was one of the first messages he received and one he remembers warmly.
Both leaders also brought up each other’s musical talents – PM Wong plays the guitar, and Anutin, the piano and saxophone. The Singapore leader proposed “a jam” together, to which his Thai counterpart quipped that they could form a boy band together.
Last November, the Singapore leader made his introductory visit to Bangkok, and was the first foreign head of government hosted by then-prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
Pioneering partnership
Singapore and Thailand, both founding members of Asean, cooperate in traditional areas of economy and defence, as well as in emerging areas such as the digital and green economies.
Singapore was Thailand’s largest source of foreign direct investment in 2024, at S$14.3 billion or 43 per cent of the kingdom’s total such applications, according to data from Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry.
Both countries were each other’s ninth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade in 2024 amounting to S$44.5 billion, a 6.4 per cent rise from the year before.
Anutin noted in the joint press conference that Thailand welcomes more investments in high-tech industries, such as semiconductors, electric vehicles, biotech and data centres.
“We also aim to further integrate our economies through joint ventures in maintenance, repair (and operations) in the aviation industry, to strengthen Thailand and Singapore as regional aviation hubs,” said the kingdom’s leader.
In 2021, their central banks linked Singapore’s PayNow and Thailand’s PromptPay real-time retail payment systems – the first instant cross-border payments infrastructure to be established globally. Both states also launched Asean’s first exchange-level depository receipts linkage in 2023.
In August, Thailand became the first South-east Asian country with which Singapore inked a carbon credit transfer agreement. PM Wong, in the joint press conference, urged officials to move quickly to operationalise the deal.
The Singapore leader made another point on the digital economy, noting that Thailand, as chair of the Asean Digital Economy Framework Agreement, has been instrumental in steering it to a substantial conclusion.
He said that the two countries would work closely, and with other Asean member states, to ensure the agreement is ambitious and high-quality, to unlock the full potential of the region’s digital economy.
Both nations are also part of the Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project. The Republic has imported up to 100 megawatts of renewable hydropower from Laos, via Thailand and Malaysia.
In the area of tourism, some 680,000 Singaporeans visited Thailand in the first nine months of this year; around 450,000 visitors from the kingdom came to Singapore in 2023.
Concluded PM Wong in his speech: “The bonds between our people are at the heart of our friendship – they are the reason why the Singapore-Thailand relationship remains so warm, so close, and so full of promise for the future.”
Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free.
Copyright SPH Media. All rights reserved.
