JAKARTA: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will travel to Jakarta on Monday (July 6) for the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat, where he and President Prabowo Subianto are expected to reaffirm ties between the two countries.
The retreat, an annual meeting by both sides, will be hosted by President Prabowo and will be the leaders’ second retreat, said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in a statement on July 5. The previous one was held in Singapore in June 2025.
“The Leaders’ Retreat reaffirms the deep and enduring bilateral ties between Singapore and Indonesia, and the commitment by both governments to deepening bilateral cooperation,” said the PMO.
At the meeting, the leaders are expected to discuss ways to strengthen collaboration in areas of mutual interest and benefit for Singapore and Indonesia.
The PMO said they will receive updates on bilateral projects undertaken since the last retreat. Both leaders will also exchange perspectives on regional and global developments, it added.
The retreat comes as Singapore and Indonesia are expanding cooperation beyond traditional areas such as trade, investment and defence into sectors including the green economy, cross-border electricity trade, carbon capture and storage, artificial intelligence and digital connectivity.
The annual retreat is the highest-level bilateral platform between the two countries, bringing together the two leaders and senior ministers to review cooperation across a broad range of sectors.
The last edition in Indonesia was in April 2024, when then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met then President Joko Widodo at the Bogor Presidential Palace. PM Wong, then deputy prime minister and finance minister, and President Prabowo, who was then president-elect, were both present.
In 2025, Singapore remained Indonesia’s top source of foreign direct investment, with a contribution of US$17.4 billion (S$22.4 billion).
PM Wong will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli and Minister for Manpower and Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science and Technology Tan See Leng.
During PM Wong’s absence, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam will be acting prime minister. - The Straits Times/ANN
