{"id":81726,"date":"2026-09-03T05:47:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T21:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=81726"},"modified":"2026-09-03T05:47:01","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T21:47:01","slug":"singapore-thai-ties-in-excellent-shape-says-pm-wong-at-leaders-retreat-with-anutin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=81726","title":{"rendered":"Singapore-Thai ties in excellent shape, says PM Wong at leaders\u2019 retreat with Anutin"},"content":{"rendered":"


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BANGKOK \u2013 Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has described Singapore and Thailand relations to be in excellent shape and said both sides will develop a multi-year agenda for ASEAN, with Singapore set to chair the regional group in 2027,<\/span><\/a> followed by Thailand in 2028.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He was speaking at a press conference in Bangkok with his Thai counterpart, Anutin Charnvirakul, at the Singapore-Thailand Leaders\u2019 Retreat held on Sept 2 after an 11-year hiatus.\u00a0<\/p>\n

PM Wong said the two countries\u2019 partnership has continued to evolve with their changing needs and priorities, citing food and energy security, emerging technologies and physical connectivity as the key areas in which both countries are deepening cooperation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur bilateral relations are in excellent shape. And it is underpinned by a high degree of trust and rapport at the leadership level as well as strong institutional ties between our two countries,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

PM Anutin, referring to the two countries\u2019 collaboration, said: \u201cI assure Prime Minister Wong that Thailand will be Singapore\u2019s trusted partner.\u201d<\/p>\n

PM Wong said Singapore and Thailand are \u201clike-minded partners with a shared interest in a strong and united ASEAN\u201d, adding that both sides have agreed to work closely together to come up with a multi-year agenda for the 11-member regional grouping.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis gives us a unique opportunity to work together across successive chairmanships \u2013 especially on initiatives that require sustained effort,\u201d said PM Wong.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy doing so, we can sustain the momentum of important initiatives, and make greater progress on issues that matter to our region,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

One long-term project, for example, is the ASEAN Power Grid, which will facilitate cross-border electricity trade among the regional states and has received greater attention given heightened concerns about energy security given the Iran war.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the retreat, the leaders welcomed the Lao PDR\u2013Thailand\u2013Malaysia\u2013Singapore Power Integration Project, an important step to realising the ASEAN Power Grid. Its first phase enabled Singapore to import up to 100MW of renewable hydropower from Laos through Thailand and Malaysia.<\/p>\n

In a statement on Sept 2, Singapore\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said PM Wong and PM Anutin agreed that Singapore and Thailand \u201cshould work closely together during their ASEAN chairmanships to advance the group\u2019s priorities, strengthen regional integration, deepen cooperation with external partners and unlock new opportunities for the region\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They also reaffirmed their shared interest in maintaining a rules-based international order.<\/p>\n

First leaders\u2019 retreat between both sides since 2015<\/h2>\n

The Singapore-Thailand Leaders\u2019 Retreat, the highest-level bilateral platform between both countries, was last held in 2015 in Singapore between then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his then counterpart, Prayut Chan-o-cha.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The latest retreat is the first between PM Wong and PM Anutin, who had met in November 2025 when the Thai leader visited Singapore,<\/span><\/a> and in May 2026 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Sept 2, both leaders took stock of the initiatives since their last meeting and discussed developing more projects to benefit both populations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the area of food security, for instance, both sides discussed how to further boost supply chains by promoting collaboration between food producers and traders.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis plays to the strengths of both countries \u2013 Thailand as a major food producer, and Singapore as a logistics and trading hub,\u201d PM Wong said.<\/p>\n

Artificial intelligence is another emerging field which PM Wong believes Singapore can work with Thailand on by developing practical applications for industries such as manufacturing, healthcare and tourism to be deployed across both countries.<\/p>\n

Singapore stepped up its AI investments in January by dedicating $1 billion over five years to 2030<\/span><\/a> to boost public AI research capabilities, while Thailand on Aug 31 launched its TH-AI Passport programme, allowing five million citizens free access to AI tools for a year.<\/p>\n

Both leaders also discussed cooperation in infrastructure and digital connectivity.<\/p>\n

Singapore and Thailand are seen as leaders in financial connectivity in ASEAN as both launched the PayNow-PromptPay linkage in April 2021, making it the world\u2019s first connection of national real-time payment systems. This allows customers of participating banks to make cross-border transfers using just a mobile number.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The plan now is to expand this and connect with more countries through a common multilateral framework.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Sept 2, the two prime ministers also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to boost cooperation in social sector development.<\/p>\n

Under the agreement, both sides will share knowledge and research on social welfare policies and programmes and plan visits to social service institutions, among other things.<\/p>\n

The MOU was inked by Singapore\u2019s Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, who was part of PM Wong\u2019s visiting delegation, and Nikorn Soemklang, Thailand\u2019s Social Development and Human Security Minister.<\/p>\n

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An MOU on social sector development was inked by Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli and Nikorn Soemklang, Thailand\u2019s Social Development and Human Security Minister.<\/p>\n

PHOTO: THAILAND PRIME MINISTER\u2019S OFFICE<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In its statement, MFA said PM Wong and PM Anutin reaffirmed the two countries\u2019 longstanding defence and economic cooperation. They also agreed to explore new areas of cooperation, including in the green and digital economies, and fighting transnational crime.\u00a0<\/p>\n

PM Wong, who is also Finance Minister, said economic links between the two countries are extensive and growing. He mentioned bilateral trade, which continues to grow despite global economic uncertainties.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2025, bilateral trade was $52.4 billion, a 17.8 per cent year-on-year increase. Singapore\u2019s top exports to Thailand include electronic products and petroleum.<\/p>\n

Thailand was Singapore\u2019s ninth-largest trading partner, and the third-largest in ASEAN.<\/p>\n

Singapore has been Thailand\u2019s largest foreign investor for three years in a row. In 2025, Singapore remained Thailand\u2019s largest source of foreign direct investment at some US$17.6 billion (S$22.4 billion).\u00a0<\/p>\n

The retreat, the fifth between the two countries, has reaffirmed the strength of the Singapore-Thailand partnership, said PM Wong.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur ties are broad and substantive, founded on trust, and full of potential,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n