SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will make an official visit to Putrajaya from Monday , ( Jan 6 ) to Tuesday for the 11th Malaysia-Singapore Leaders ‘ Retreat, where both sides will sign several bilateral agreements.
He will be hosted by his counterpart Anwar Ibrahim, according to a statement from Singapore’s Prime Minister’s Office ( PMO ) on Sunday ( Jan 5 ).
According to the PMO, the yearly retreat serves as a meeting point for both leaders to decide the direction of bilateral cooperation and determine new ways to improve communication so that Singaporeans and Malaysians can benefit from it in terms of tangible benefits, according to the PMO.
Both parties will continue to work together constructively to resolve any unresolved intergovernmental issues,” taking into account their ongoing interdependencies and shared responsibility to forward-looking relationships,” the PMO added.
The retreat, which was Mr. Wong’s primary since taking office as PM in May of last year, was actually scheduled for December 8 to 9, but was postponed because he tested positive for COVID-19.
On January 6, Malaysian PM Anwar may host a dinner for PM Wong, and accompanying officials may speak with their peers and other Indonesian officials. Mr. Wong may attend a formal meeting the following day as well as a meeting between the two delegations.
The PMO predicted that the two leaders would see the exchange of a number of bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding, which “reflect the varied and mutually advantageous partnership across different domains.”
According to Malaysia’s foreign ministry, there will be a joint agreement on the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone ( SEZ ). Through economic cooperation with Singapore, the proposed SEZ’s goal is to boost the Johor business, and both nations signed memorandas of knowledge in January of last year.  ,
Both sides may even sign a letter of intent on schooling, women and social happiness, climate change, carbon capture and storage, industrial development and combatting international crimes, Malaysia’s international ministry said.
According to Singapore’s Trade and Industry Ministry, Malaysia was Singapore’s second largest trading partner in 2023 with diplomatic business of US$ 92.1 billion. Singapore was likewise Malaysia’s largest resource of foreign investment, contributing US$ 9.6 billion or 23.2 per cent of Malaysia’s full foreign assets in 2023.
Mr. Wong, who is also the finance minister, may be accompanied by Vice Premier Gan Kim Yong, Vice Premier and Minister for Trade and Industry, Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam, Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for Health Masagos Zulkifli, Desmond Lee, Transport and Finance Minister Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National
In his absence, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat may be Acting Prime Minister, the PMO said.