OSAKA: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday (Jun 29) reaffirmed bilateral relations with Brazil, Netherlands and India on the sidelines of the G20 Summit that was held in Osaka, Japan over two days.
Mr Lee and Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte had a “good discussion” on their bilateral ties and regional developments, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
The leaders, who last met at the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires last year, welcomed the ratification of the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement in February and look forward to it coming into force later this year, the PMO added.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong advocates strengthening of international trading system
“Singapore and the Netherlands are both open and like-minded outward-looking countries which share similar views on the importance of the multilateral trading system,” a spokesperson for the PMO said.
Mr Lee had, during a plenary session on the sidelines of the summit this year, advocated the strengthening of the multilateral trading system.
Mr Lee also discussed such a system with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.
The leaders agreed that the conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership would send a strong signal of commitment to the multilateral trading system amidst US-China trade tensions and protectionism around the world, the spokesperson said.
The partnership is a free trade agreement under negotiation among ASEAN countries and partners which the organisation has existing agreements with.
Mr Lee and Mr Modi also discussed the “excellent bilateral relations and cooperation” under the India-Singapore Strategic Partnership, particularly in the areas of trade and investment, defence, Fintech and innovation, the PMO said.
Mr Lee also reaffirmed warm bilateral ties with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
The leaders welcomed recent milestones in their relations, like the abolition of visa requirements for diplomatic and official passport holders, and the signing of the Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. (Photo: MCI)
Both leaders look forward to the early ratification and early conclusion of the agreement, which would facilitate trade and investment flows between our two countries and regions, the PMO spokesperson said.
They also agreed to continue working together to strengthen the bilateral relationship, with President Bolsonaro welcoming the investments by Singapore companies in Brazil in sectors such as oil and gas, infrastructure and real estate.
Mr Lee also invited more Brazilian companies to establish their Asian operations in Singapore.
Earlier during his working visit that started on Thursday, Mr Lee also met Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who invited Singapore to Japan’s G20 Summit.
The leaders reaffirmed their relations and noted that they were pursuing new areas of bilateral cooperation, including infrastructure development in third countries.
