Singapore, New Zealand elevate ties, commit to raising relationship to new heights
Asean currently has such CSP agreements with Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and the United States, which are some of the dialogue partners of the regional bloc
[AUCKLAND] Singapore and New Zealand have agreed to upgrade their bilateral relationship, and have laid out a road map to cooperate more closely in wide-ranging areas such as trade, security, innovation and supply chain resilience.
The upgrading of links to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) on Friday (Oct 10) came as the countries marked 60 years of diplomatic ties, and a quarter-century since they signed a free trade agreement (FTA).
That FTA, Singapore’s first, paved the way for even more ambitious ventures between the two island nations, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Oct 10. These included the Pacific-4 agreement, which grew into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a free trade agreement between 12 countries.
Noting that the two countries have completed more than 40 initiatives since ties were last upgraded in 2019, PM Wong said the CSP will see Singapore and New Zealand pursue even more ambitious and innovative projects together. This includes establishing an annual leaders’ meeting to guide the nations’ cooperation, deeper investment and capital markets collaboration, and a strategic partnership to bolster food security, he said at a joint press conference with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
Shared strategic priorities
The press conference at Government House in Auckland followed the signing of a joint vision statement by both leaders that sets the direction of cooperation for the next decade across 72 initiatives.
A key aspect of the CSP is to advance shared strategic priorities, which includes supporting the wider region by jointly delivering capacity-building programmes to Pacific countries, said PM Wong.
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The countries are also discussing proposals for a new multi-country green economy partnership, drawing on their experience working together on the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (Depa), a digital trade agreement founded by Singapore, New Zealand and Chile in 2020.
South Korea joined Depa in 2024, while Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Peru, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates have applied to join, according to Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry.
By integrating trade and climate action, the green deal under consideration aims to have growth and sustainability reinforce each other, said PM Wong.
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Under the CSP, Singapore and New Zealand also agreed to a deal on trade in essential supplies, which will legally bind the two countries to actions that minimise the impact of supply chain disruptions, ensuring that goods such as food, fuels, and medicines continue to flow even during crises.
Luxon said the agreement is a great example of how the two countries have the same instincts and intentions in finding mutually beneficial outcomes, given that Singapore imports most of its food while New Zealand imports a large amount of its fuel and pharmaceuticals.
“I just think it speaks to the huge amount of trust that we have between our two countries – this is a frictionless arrangement and relationship,” he said.
PM Wong said this first-of-its-kind agreement can also serve as a pathfinder for other trade-dependent economies.
On the defence front, the two countries are also exploring new areas of cooperation, such as in unmanned technologies.
In May, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) expanded its training presence in New Zealand by conducting its inaugural unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) training at the Tekapo Military Training Area.
The training focused on integrating the Orbiter 4 close-range UAV into the RSAF’s fleet to enhance air intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
“Singapore and New Zealand may be small in size, but we have shown time and again that the power of our partnership far outweighs our scale,” said PM Wong.
Both leaders emphasised that while the international order is changing, small countries do have agency to shape rules and norms, and that both Singapore and New Zealand believe that their partnership can model the standards they want to see affirmed in the world.
Pushing frontiers
“Because we are two small and open economies, we are always looking at pushing the frontiers, always looking at setting more innovative, high standards for ourselves,” said PM Wong, citing the P-4, Depa, green economy partnership and essential supplies deals.
“We hope that these new standards, in time to come, will be adopted by Asean and perhaps by other groupings as well.”
The two countries also identified upgrading Asean-New Zealand ties to that of a CSP as a shared strategic priority they will work towards.
Asean currently has such CSP agreements with Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and the United States, which are some of the dialogue partners of the regional bloc.
PM Wong said Asean and New Zealand’s links have been growing, and that Singapore can serve as a springboard for Kiwi companies to engage the regional grouping’s diverse markets.
When Singapore takes on the rotating chairmanship of Asean in 2027, New Zealand will be the chair of the Pacific Island Forum, and there too is another opportunity to engage not just bilaterally, but through these groupings to bring both regions closer together, he added.
Agreeing, Luxon noted that Singapore is New Zealand’s largest trading partner in South-east Asia, and that Singapore is also where most of its firms have based their regional head offices.
“It’s a country that we have got 200,000 people moving between our two countries, and there’s the most familiarity with as well,” said the New Zealand premier. “There’s a lot more that we can do together.”
PM Wong is in Auckland as part of a six-day visit to Australia and New Zealand – his first official visit to both countries since he became prime minister last year.
Also on Friday, he attended a delegation lunch hosted by Luxon, and laid a wreath at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
On Saturday, PM Wong will attend a reception for overseas Singaporeans in Auckland to celebrate Singapore’s 60th year of independence.
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