SINGAPORE: Singapore deeply appreciates the steady hand with which Malaysia has steered Asean this year under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership and will continue to strongly support Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship, says Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.
He said there is much more that Singapore and Malaysia can do together to elevate bilateral relations, including through their shared commitment to keep Asean cohesive and forward-looking amid an increasingly turbulent geopolitical environment.
“There are numerous other examples of how – across the board – our two sides are earnestly working together for mutual benefit.
“While there is much that we can be proud of accomplishing together in the last six decades, there is much more that Singapore and Malaysia can yet do together to bring relations to the next level,” he said at Malaysia’s National Day and Malaysia Day reception organised by the High Commission of Malaysia in Singapore on Thursday night.
In the Bernama report, Balakrishnan said Singapore and Malaysia’s longstanding and close partnership cuts across multiple domains, including regular interactions at all levels to build trust and co-create solutions.
He said that economically, the two neighbouring countries have long been among each other’s largest trading partners and are continuing to grow the pie together through joint initiatives such as the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).
He said the business community has shown strong interest in the JS-SEZ Agreement since its signing this January.
“By leveraging our complementary strengths, the JS-SEZ will help both sides better navigate the growing global economic uncertainty.
“The JS-SEZ has the potential to be a game-changer, not just for multinational corporations but also for our homegrown small and medium enterprises,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link, scheduled to commence passenger service by end-2026, will significantly reduce commute time, enhance physical connectivity and unlock many more opportunities for both sides to collaborate in various areas.
Balakrishnan said that beyond all the “hardware”, Singapore and Malaysia also cooperate closely on “software”, such as cultural exchange and the deepening of people-to-people ties.
